Buffalo Gourd Hard to Love
Along the side of highways, often creeping along disturbed soil, tendrils of the buffalo gourd seem like something out of a science fiction film. Extremely fast growing, the large triangular leaves can take over large swaths of land, primarily in elevations below 7,000 feet. The plant is foul smelling and the flesh of the tennis ball-size gourds contain cucurbitacins which can be toxic if consumed in large quantities—difficult to imagine given its stunningly acrid taste. Despite these offensive attributes, buffalo…