Daniel Janzen suggested that gomphotheres (extinct elephant-like animals) may have previously been responsible for the dispersal of C. alata seeds.

[2] With their extinction, C. alata became threatened with the possibility of habitat loss and suffered an extremely limited ability to migrate, but the introduction of a new vector, in the form of domestic horses, has allowed the species to maintain its viability.

In Central America, dried and painted gourd - like fruits are used by local people for making artisanal handicrafts such as piggy banks and ornaments.

The skull later spits in the hand of the Xibalban princess Ixquic, thus impregnating her and begetting the second, successful generation of Maya Hero Twins.

The seeds are edible and high in protein with a licorice-like sweet taste, used in Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua to make a kind of horchata called semilla de jícaro.