OCEANIC DRIFT OF GOURDS—EXPERIMENTAL OBSERVATIONS

Abstract

THE WHITE-FLOWERED GOURD, Lagenaria siceraria (Mol.) Stand. is generally considered to be a native of the Old World, possibly Africa. However, like the cultivated species of Cutcurbita, there are no records of its having been found in the truly wild state. There is much solid archaeological evidence to indicate that it was present in the Americas in pre-Columbian times. Perhaps the earliest recorded occurrence of this species in the New World is that from Huaca Prieta, Peru (Whitaker and Bird, 1949). Bird (1948) estimates the age of this site at about 3000 B.C. If it be conceded that Lagenaria is an Old World species, the method and time of transportation to the New World are problems of first importance for plant geographers, ethnobotanists, archaeologists, and others. At least one aspect of the problem is subject to experimental attack. If it can be shown that the gourds are capable of floating for prolonged periods of time in sea water, with the seeds remaining viable, there exists the possibility that fruits of Lagenaria may have been transported to the New World by oceanic currents. This possibility has been suggested by Towle (1952), and she cites certain pieces of evidence from the literature to support this idea. Very little is known about the distribution of plants through the agency of oceanic currents, and there has been no thorough investigation of this important subject in recent years. Guppy's (1917) work, a classic in this field, still remains the only source of reliable information about the oceanic drift of plant materials. Although Guppy made some extensive observations on the drift of the calabash gourd (Crescentia cujete), Lagenaria is mentioned only incidentally and, except as noted below. his observations are for the most part not pertinent to our problem. According to Guppy, gourds have been familiar to naturalists of Scandinavian countries since the eighteenth century as a constituent of the foreign plant drift cast up on their shores by the Gulf Stream. These gourds have been referred in most cases to Lagenaria. Guppy regards this as an error. He thinks it highly probable that some if not all of the gourds and calabashes recorded from Scandi-