A squash but, trust me, it is bitter. But dried, the gourds can be ornamental, whether for Halloween decoration or Christmas trees. The plant survives arid climates because of a huge tuber, said to weigh nearly 100 pounds after four or five years. One acquaintance told of a patch near his house that is graded clean each year when the county reshapes the road it grows near. The next year it creeps out of the ground.
Might become a nuisance.
