Talk:Squash (plant)

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Several of the species in the taxo box are gourds, not squashes. Should we stop redirecting Cucurbita here so we can talk about both in that article? Usual usage is that squashes are the ones you eat and gourd are the ones you don't. Are these listed species edible gourds that we are listing as functional "squashes"? Rmhermen 13:00, Oct 16, 2003 (UTC)

Good point. I don't see why the taxonomic table could not be repeated on the gourd page for the appropriate species, with cross references on both pages. I've not worked with tables, so I'm a little reluctant to tackle it, though I suppose it's just a matter of copy, paste and delete the inappropriate ones. Am I right? Pollinator 16:05, 16 Oct 2003 (UTC)

Yes, cut and paste but this table gets more complicated since gourds are not only several species but apparently several genuses. Rmhermen 16:36, Oct 16, 2003 (UTC)
In the back of my mind, I was thinking that the night blooming gourds were a different genus. I shoulda looked it up. If you don't do it, I'll try, but I can't right now; gotta leave for an appointment... Pollinator 17:14, 16 Oct 2003 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Vegetable

Why is squash categorized as "vegetable"? Isn't it a fruit? --Timc 01:41, 27 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Botanically speaking, yes. In the culinary arts, no. Take your pick. Pollinator 04:14, Jun 27, 2004 (UTC)

Bringing up this subject again: "Fruit" is a botanical term, but can also be used as a culinary term. "Vegetable" is entirely a culinary term, with no botanical meaning. I see little justification in this article having been moved to "Squash (fruit)". It is not just the fruit that is used for culinary purposes, but tendrils, flowers and seeds as well. "Squash (vegetable)" was ok IMO, but if people don't like that, "Squash (plant)" would probably be best. I propose to move it there unless there is serious objection. -- WormRunner | Talk 21:23, 30 Dec 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Pictures

I would like to see pics of different types of squash, as I have one that I have no clue about. It looks like an elongated football and is a washed out orange in color. Can someone tell me what this squash is? Also what might be the best way to prepare!! Thanks

The result of the discussion was Do not move. I am closing this so that no one else is fooled like I was into thinking this was a current debate.

[edit] Squash (fruit) → Squash

Squash is primarily used for the vegetable/fruit. While there are other uses of the term (for Squash (sport) and Squash (drink)) these are very much lesser uses and are referred to on Squash (disambiguation). I cannot make the move myself because Squash (disambiguation) was at Squash before I moved it. -- WormRunner | Talk 00:19, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)

  • Support WormRunner's reasoning is simply good sense. Furthermore, the name is confusing. Botanically it is, or course, a fruit, but most people think of it in terms of vegetable. Pollinator 03:23, Jan 13, 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose. Squash (drink) is British I think; but Squash (sport) seems to me at least as prominent a usage as the fruit. (Though I may be biased; I've played squash once, but never eaten it. ;) Rd232 00:27, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Squash (sport) is barely known outside the Commonwealth; suggest primary-topic disambiguation at User:Squash. (Only kidding. I must nonetheless oppose.) ADH (t&m) 00:33, Jan 13, 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose. Squash (sport) is probably better known than Squash (fruit) -- Curps 01:04, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
    • In fairness, this is probably a Pondian thing. We eat plenty of squash (pumpkin and such), but never play the game. The reverse is probably true in the U.K. ADH (t&m) 01:07, Jan 13, 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose - none of the options is overly dominant enough to deserve the primary name. -- Netoholic @ 03:23, 2005 Jan 13 (UTC)
    • Oppose: Agree. Cburnett 04:07, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose with Squash (vegetable) redirecting to Squash (fruit) to sate those that find it confusing (it already exists). The fruit is only the third thing I think of in relation to the word. violet/riga (t) 09:54, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose - Solipsist 11:09, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose - Philip Baird Shearer 19:24, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose, because a sport is more likely to get a bigger article than the fruit SECProto 15:20, Jan 14, 2005 (UTC)
  • Support Not everything is about size. Squash is eaten by many more people than play it. —Michael Z. 16:38, 2005 Jan 14 (UTC)
  • Strongly Oppose. Sorry but the fruit/veg thing is very far down the list of things I might be thinking about when I hear the word squash. In any case I would have called it a vegetable rather then a fruit if anybody had cared to ask me what kind of thing it was. But now I know better. Jooler 17:20, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose'. It is a pondian thing, true (one only has to look at the distinctly unsportsmanlike purpose to which the Stagg Field squash court at the University of Chicago was put) but using Google I found it very, very hard to avoid getting deluged by Squash the sport. Other Google hits seem to be comparatively rare. I think this is a good case for Primary Topic disambiguation. But the primary topic is not fruit. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 23:34, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)
The preponderance of squash racket sports mentioned on the net is due to the high marketability and profit margins of equipment incorporating space-age materials ("Visa or Mastercard?"). I assure you there are many more people eating curried squash the world than there are fitness club members. —Michael Z. 23:53, 2005 Jan 15 (UTC)
Not to mention the sports pages, and simply that the game is a far more interesting discussion topic than zucchini. The Google test isn't a good metric, in this case, and I would oppose a push for primary-topic disambiguation under any of the various meanings. ADH (t&m) 00:06, Jan 16, 2005 (UTC)
I agree that I may well have eaten what you call 'curried squash'. But one thing I can be sure of is that I do not call it 'curried squash'. That use of the word squash is almost unknown in my country. --Tony Sidaway|Talk 14:16, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)
Oppose. Squash the fruit is almost unheard of on the Eastern side of the Atlantic. DJ Clayworth 03:17, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppose reluctantly, I am infinitely more familiar with the vegetable/fruit than the game and had never heard of the drink, though in my ideolect its is also a common verb (a synonym for "crush"). However, the discussion here shows that this is a regional variation that should not be legislated by Wikipedia. Eluchil404 13:30, 17 January 2007 (UTC)
  • Comment Should we move the article, or could we make two articles, one devoted to Squash(Plant), and one devoted to Squash(Fruit)? The Fruit article could discuss the culinary aspects, and different varieties/species in cultivation, while the Plant article can discuss the botany concerning squashes (habits, pollinators, etc).--Mr Fink 16:14, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
  • Strongly Oppose The sport of squash is extremely important as well, (even if it may not seem that way to you folk locked up in the U.S.of A.) Also in many countries in the world (thats right, outside of the U.S.of A.) virtually all types of (what you people from the U.S.of A.) call squash are called pumpkins, where as the term squash refers to small yellow or green flying saucer looking things. (which taste disgusting mind you) These are also called button squash, so possibly they could get a reference in this article (or alternatively in a new one). And further more the drink is also very popular (you guessed it, outside of the U.S. of A. in Australia) its pretty much what people call (what you folk from the U. S. of A.) lemonade, although I've never referred to it as the "squash" it talks about in that main secion. --Shaizakopf 18:19 21 January 2007

[edit] Fix different squashes and pictures

There needs to be several sub-articles on the cushaw, in order for Wikipedia to have a wider encyclopedic nature. I've noticed that the article on the hubbard squash is a stub with no picture, and the butternut squash article has no picture. There is no article on the cushaw. I think these pages three pages should all look and have the same quality like the Acorn Squash page does now. Then these pages need to be linked to this main page of squashes.

I agree that this should be split up into multiple articles and expanded on. However, there is little detail here as it is, and there are a lot of kinds of squash out there. Jupiterjones 05:03, 27 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Need distinguishing characteristics for C. pepo vs. C. moschata

C. maxima has distinctive seeds and pedicel, but how can the other two main squash species be identified? No one ever seems to address this! 141.216.1.4 03:26, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Requested Move

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposal. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the debate was moved Patstuarttalk|edits 03:37, 23 January 2007 (UTC)

Squash (fruit) → Squash (plant)

Suggest renaming from botanically correct, but cullinarilly confusing term to more general one. Also note that squash is used to refer to the plant as a whole as well as the fruit, though the latter is most commonly consumed. Eluchil404 13:35, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

  • Support move as it would be the more clear title. I know quite a few folks who would argue that Squashes are veggies. 205.157.110.11 00:34, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
  • support WormRunner 01:53, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
  • Support, makes sense. -MURGH disc. 05:14, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
  • Support. I always thought of a squash as a veg, at least in a culinary sense. So you're saying it isn't? Hmph. Next you'll tell me that Pluto ain't a real planet. -- SigPig |SEND - OVER 09:49, 19 January 2007 (UTC)
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page. No further edits should be made to this section.

[edit] Missing picture

I placed a picture today with a honeybee pollinating a squash flower. It went missing a few hours later... can anyone tell me why? Nogatonga 03:26, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

It looks like it's there now. Did you refresh your browser?--Mr Fink 05:32, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Pumpkin or Squash?

In dutch there is no seperate word for squash it seems, referring to the fact that both the english squash page is translated to the dutch 'pompoen' page as well as the english pumpkin page.

A squash is not the same as a pumpkin, but is it so in dutch..? Jackjoker 17:57, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Botanically speaking, a pumpkin is a specific species of squash, in the same manner that a coyote is considered to be a specific species of dog. In English, at least, "squash" refers to any members of the Squash family that are cooked and eaten like primarily like vegetables, like butternut squash, or acorn squash, or pumpkins. "Melons" tend to refer to those members of the squash family that have sweet and juicy flesh that are eaten raw, as a dessert, like cantelope, honeydew or watermelons.--Mr Fink 17:59, 29 October 2007 (UTC)
On the contrary, the term "pumpkin" has no real botanical meaning. Any of the four common species of domestic squash (C. pepo, mixta, maxima, and moschata) may be called pumpkins provided that they are relatively round and orange. There is enough variation between cultivars within species that each has at least some varieties which fit the image of a pumpkin. Also, as I understand it, in some countries/areas/dialects (I don't know which) the term "pumpkin" refers to a large tasteless or mealy squash which is fit only for animal consumption (or carving).

All that said, I would believe that in Dutch there are not two terms for what English speakers would term pumpkins and other squashes.68.97.8.215 01:01, 7 November 2007 (UTC)