qr-code 3 ENG

Calabash / Kalbas di mondi / Kalebas

Crescentia cujete

The calabash is a tree that can grow up to 10 meters high. It has a thin trunk with branches that grow horizontally. The tree gets yellowish with purple signed flowers and fruits after pollination by bats. The hard scale of the fruit is not edible when it is not yet ripe. After falling from the tree, the fruit pulp becomes a black syrupy substance that is edible and is used to make cough syrup, for example. The hard scale of the fruit is used to make maracas and small tableware. This tree can be found from Central America to the north of South America.

A second species is the cultivated ‘kalbas di hòfi’ (or ‘kalbas di kunuku’) whose fruit grows considerably larger than that of the calabash (‘kalbas di mondi’). This species is used to make tableware. This species only grows in areas where the groundwater level is high.

There is also the ‘kalbas largu’. This climbing plant grows the very elongated vegetable that is used for the traditional dish ‘kalbas stobá’.

Brasilwood / Brasia / Brazielhout

Haematoxylum brasiletto

Brazilwood, locally known as “brasia”, is a tree that can grow in different types of soil. During the dry season, the tree loses all its leaves, but after a rainfall, it quickly blooms and becomes full of yellow flowers.

The trunk of the brasia is very uneven and changes color as it ages, from dark brown to grey. As the tree gets older, a special pattern forms in the trunk, making it look like the wood is braided. Because the trunk is made of hardwood, it can be used to make many wooden items. People still use it to make clocks, coasters, and other products.

This tree is often confused with the kibrahacha (Tabebuia billbergii), because both trees lose their leaves for part of the year and bloom quickly. However, the kibrahacha only blooms after a few strong, short rain showers.

The brasia tree is found in Central America and the northern part of South America.