Tropical South American evergreen tree with gourds (fruits) 50 cm/20 in across, whose dried skins are used as water containers. The Old World tropical-vine bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria, of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae) is sometimes also called a calabash, and it produces equally large gourds. (Crescentia cujete, family Bignoniaceae.)
Yellow and the diamond shape represent Brazil's mineral wealth. The motto Ordem e Progresso means ‘Order and Progress’. Green stands for the vast forests. Effective date: 15 November 1889.