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I was trying to make a Hawaiian ipu drum out of a gourd grown from a seed I planted that was marketed as a "birdhouse gourd" and dried this winter. I've been looking up what ipu drums are made out of and apparently it's supposed to be a calabash. I consulted the Book of Knowledge for calabash and it didn't reference a use as a birdhouse.

Recently I talked to some gourd artists and they didn't seem to know what a birdhouse gourd was, so I'm guessing I'm just calling it by what it was marketed as, not necessarily what it is. So, I'd like to know, how much variation is there in the calabash variety of gourds and what kinds are good for birdhouses and what kinds are good for ipu drums?

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    The Scientific Name for Calabash is Lagenaria siceraria. Where I can find scientific names associated with 'birdhouse gourd', they also refer to them as Lagenaria siceraria. At minimum, they are likely the same species. Being Cucurbits, the amount of variation within the species is potentially extreme. Not an answer because I have no idea about which varieties are good for what.
    – GardenerJ
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 14:34
  • birdhouses are made out of "Bottle Gourds" same thing...
    – Grady Player
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 14:34

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No they are the same species, some people call different shaped calabashes different things, bottle / birdhouse / calabash... same gourd...

also most other gourds (dipper, giant african, crook neck) are the same species Lagenaria siceraria just with different shapes.

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  • Well, they may be the same gourd, but they're different shapes, which means people use them for different things? So I guess specifically, I'd like to know if the whats good for the lark is good for the luau?
    – Peter Turner
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 16:17
  • @PeterTurner yeah, but bottle birdhouse and calabash are the same basic shape, 2 lumps thinner in the middle
    – Grady Player
    Commented Mar 23, 2016 at 17:12

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