Somehow I asked this on Humble Opinion, but I don’t remember moving to that category! How could this happen?
Why are gourds poisonous when they are so closely related to squashes? Signed, Mr. Cucurbitaceae
Some mushrooms are poisonous and some aren’t and they are directly related, same species, whatever. Seems like calling the non-poisonous “squash” and the poisonous “gourd” is a pretty good idea, if that is the case.
Posting the same thread in two forums is called cross-posting and is not allowed. If you suspect you have posted in the wrong forum, you should e-mail a moderator to move the thread for you rather than reposting in another forum. I have closed your IMHO thread.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
Gourds are yummy. Here’s a recipe for bitter gourd curry.
Nature doesnt care about our culinary tastes, all it cares about is surviving to reproduce. Poison, thorns, irritating hairs, crystals that cause inflammation and swelling are some of nature’s ways to keep predators away so the plants can survive. Remember, even though theyre in the same family, it doesnt mean they should all be the same. For instance take palms (I am palm nut…ha ha, that was a joke :)). Theyre all in the same family yet some have edible fruits, seeds, while others are poisonous, some are unarmed, and some are as spiny as a cactus (look for a picture of Acrocomia media :)). Just ways these plants have adapted to survive.
I was unaware that any gourds are poisonous (I’m unaware of millions of things, of course.) However, I’m sure of some non-poisonous gourds. Calabash gourds, for example, are used for water dippers and tobacco pipes.
–Nott, the large