Calabash (lagenaria siceraria), aka "bottle gourd," is a vine grown for its versatile gourds. When harvested earlier it is eaten, and when harvested later it can be dried and used for containers or utensils. They have been found in archaeological contexts as old as 8,000 and 9,000 years, and though the plant is indigenous to Africa, it is also found and used on other continents. This example purchased as a tourist item from Cameroon is largely decorative, but is also a good example of how the gourd may be repurposed into a ladle.