Cucurbita

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Pumpkin, Squash


Yellow squash
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Cucurbita
Category	Vine, Annual, Groundcover, Vegetable
Kingdom	Plantae
Division	Magnoliophyta
Class	Angiospermae
Order	Cucurbitales
Family	Cucurbitaceae
Species in this genus
Cucurbita andreana Cucurbita argyrosperma Cucurbita cordata Cucurbita cylindrata Cucurbita digitata Cucurbita ecuadorensis Cucurbita ficifolia Cucurbita foetidissima Cucurbita fraterna Cucurbita galeottii Cucurbita lundelliana Cucurbita maxima Cucurbita moschata Cucurbita okeechobeensis Cucurbita palmata Cucurbita pedatifolia Cucurbita pepo Cucurbita radicans Cucurbita scabridifolia
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Aden Earth Zone

3 - 20

Cultivation

Cultivation: Easy-To-Grow, For-Gardeners, For-Horticulturists
Light: Sun
Soil: Rich
pH: 7
Moisture: Medium, Well-Drained

Characteristics

Form: Vine, Groundcover, Herbaceous
Habit: Annual
Flower: Large, Petals, Yellow, Orange
Fruit/Seed: Large, Fruit.Nut, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red, White, Black, Brown
Foliage: Leaves, Green
Uses: Edible, Ornamental, Craft, Industrial

About

Cucurbita is a genus in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae first cultivated in the Americas and now used in many parts of the world . It includes species grown for their fruit and edible seeds (the squashes, pumpkins and marrows, and the chilacayote), as well as some species grown only as gourds. These gourds (and other squashes) come in many colors, including blue, orange, yellow, red, and green. They have bicollateral vascular bundles. Many North and Central American species are visited by specialist pollinators in the apid group Eucerini, especially the genera Peponapis and Xenoglossa, and these bees can be very important for fruit set.

Several species of Cucurbita are native to North America, including Cucurbita foetidissima (finger-leaved gourd), Cucurbita digitata (calabazilla), and Cucurbita palmata (coyote melon). These plants produce gourds and form large, fleshy, tuber-like roots. Some species, however, are native to South America, including Cucurbita pepo.

Cucurbita species are often used as food, either for their fruit or the seeds lying within. The winter varieties have thick, inedible skins, and so store well. They are also very sweet. Summer squash, on the other hand, have a very thin skin, which can be eaten. The seeds inside can be ground into a flour or meal, roasted and eaten whole, made into pumpkinseed oil, or otherwise prepared.