Cucurbita pepo

Cucurbita pepo
Assorted cultivars; from top-left, clockwise: pattypan squash, yellow summer squash, a large zucchini, and pumpkins.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cucurbita
Species:	C. pepo
Binomial name
Cucurbita pepo L.
Subspecies[1]
Cucurbita pepo subsp. fraterna Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo Cucurbita pepo subsp. texana
Synonyms[2]
Citrullus variegatus Schrad. ex M.Roem. Cucumis pepo (L.) Dumort. Cucumis zapallo Steud. Cucurbita aurantia Willd. Cucurbita ceratoceras <smallMHaberle ex Mart. Cucurbita clodiensis Nocca Cucurbita courgero Ser. Cucurbita elongata Bean ex Schrad. Cucurbita esculenta Gray Cucurbita fastuosa Salisb. Cucurbita grisea M.Roem. Cucurbita hybrida Bertol. ex Naudin Cucurbita lignosa Mill. Cucurbita mammeata Molina Cucurbita mammosa J.F.Gmel. Cucurbita marsupiiformis <smallMHaberle ex M.Roem. [Invalid] Cucurbita melopepo L. Cucurbita oblonga Link Cucurbita polymorpha Duchesne Cucurbita pomiformis M.Roem. Cucurbita pyridaris Duchesne ex Poir. Cucurbita pyxidaris DC. Cucurbita subverrucosa Willd. Cucurbita succado Nägeli ex Naudin Cucurbita succedo Arn. Cucurbita tuberculosa Schrad. Cucurbita urnigera Schrad. Cucurbita variegata Steud. Cucurbita venosa Descourt. Cucurbita verrucosa L. Pepo citrullus Sageret Pepo potiron Sageret Pepo vulgaris Moench

Cucurbita pepo is a cultivated plant of the genus Cucurbita. It yields varieties of winter squash and pumpkin, but the most widespread varieties belong to Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo, called summer squash.^[3]

It has been domesticated in the New World for thousands of years.^[4] The Zuni people have several uses for this plant. Some authors maintain that Cucurbita pepo is derived from Cucurbita texana, while others suggest that C. texana is merely feral C. pepo.^[5] They have a wide variety of uses, especially as a food source and for medical conditions. C. pepo seems to more closely related to Cucurbita fraterna though there are disagreements about the exact nature of that connection too.^[6]

Taxonomy

The morphological differences within the species C. pepo are so vast that its various subspecies and cultivars have been misidentified as totally separate species. These vast differences are rooted in its widespread geographic distribution.^[6] C. pepo is one of the oldest, if not the oldest domesticated species.^[5][7][8] The oldest known locations are in southern Mexico in Oaxaca 8,000-10,000 years ago and Ocampo, Tamaulipas, Mexico about 7,000 years ago.^[5][7][8] Its ancient territory extended north into Texas and up the Greater Mississippi River Valley into Illinois and east to Florida, and possibly even to Maine.^[6] It is known to have appeared in Missouri, United States at least 4,000 years ago.^[9] Some varieties grow in arid regions and some in moist regions.^[6]

Debates about the origin of C. pepo have been going on since at least 1857.^[10] There have traditionally been two opposing theories about its origin: 1) that C. pepo is a direct descendant of C. texana and 2) that C. texana is feral C. pepo.^[5] A more recent theory is that it is a descendant of C. fraterna and hybridized with C. texana;^[11] resulting in two distinct domestication events in two different areas: one in Mexico and one in the eastern United States, with C. fraterna and C. texana, respectively, as the ancestral species.^{[9][11][12][13]} C. pepo may have appeared in the Old World prior to moving from Mexico into South America.^[9]

It is found from sea level to slightly above 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). Leaves have 3-5 lobes and are 20–35 cm wide. All the subspecies, varieties, and cultivars are conspecific and interfertile. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD DNA) has proven useful in sorting out the relationships of the C. pepo species, varieties, and cultivars, showing that few, if any, modern cultivars have their origins with C. texana. They are associated with C. fraterna or a still unknown ancestral specimen in southern Mexico.^[6]

Wild C. pepo is still found in the same areas as C. fraterna in Mexico. Their isozymes are very similar. C. pepo has more similarities to C. fraterna, than it does to C. texana, which is also claimed to be an ancestor of C. pepo. All studied C. fraterna alleles are also found in C. pepo.^[11] Consequently C. fraterna is the nearest relative of C. pepo. C. pepo is most likely an early domesticated form of C. fraterna. It crosses well with both C. pepo and C. texana. Unlike most wild Cucurbita, some fruit specimens of C. fraterna have been found that were not bitter. Its usual habitat is dry upland scrub areas. C. pepo could be a compilospecies of C. fraterna and C. texana, which appear to be two species that were originally separate.^[11][12] Based on genetic allele analysis, there are two distinct groups within C. pepo: pumpkin, calabaza, criolla, and marrow squash are in one; and ornamental gourds, crookneck, acorn, scallop, and a few others in the second one. C. fraterna is genetically closer to the first group and C. texana is genetically closer to the second group.^[13][14] Ornamental gourds found in Texas are called var. texana and those found outside of Texas (Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana) are called var. ozarkana.^[8] In a 1989 study on the origins and development of C. pepo, Paris suggested that the original wild specimen was a small round fruit and that the modern pumpkin is its direct descendant. He also suggested that the crookneck, ornamental gourd, and scallop are early variants, and that the acorn is a cross between the scallop and pumpkin.^[15]

Several taxa have been proposed, but as of 2012 none has been universally accepted.^[16] In 2002, the taxa conventions proposed by Decker-Walters were:^[6]

• C. pepo subsp. pepo - cultivated pumpkins, marrows, the orange gourds ("Orange Ball" and "Orange Warted")
• C. pepo subsp. ovifera var. ovifera - cultivated crooknecks, scallops, acorns, most ornamental gourds
• C. pepo subsp. ovifera var. ozarkana - wild populations in the Greater Mississippi Valley and Ozark Plateau
• C. pepo subsp. ovifera var. texana - wild populations in Texas
• C. pepo subsp. fraterna - wild populations in northeastern Mexico

In 1986 botanist Paris proposed a taxonomy of C. pepo consisting of eight edible groups based on their basic shape.^[15][17] All but a few C. pepo can be included in these groups.^[17] These eight edible cultivated varieties of C. pepo vary widely in shape and color,^[9][18][19] and one non-edible cultivated variety:^[20]

Cultivar group	Botanical name	Image	Description
Acorn	C. pepo var. turbinata		winter squash, both a shrubby and creeping plant, obovoid or conical shape, pointed at the apex and with longitudinal grooves, thus resembling a spinning top,[17] ex: Acorn squash[9][18][19]
Cocozzelle	C. pepo var. Ionga		summer squash, long round slender fruit that is slightly bulbous at the apex,[17] similar to fastigata, ex: Cocozelle von tripolis[9][18][19]
Crookneck	C. pepo var. torticollia		summer squash, shrubby plant, with yellow, golden, or white fruit which is long and curved at the end and generally has a verrucose (wart-covered) rind,[17] ex: Yellow crookneck squash[9][18][19]
Pumpkin	C. pepo var. pepo		winter squash, creeping plant, round, oblate, or oval shape and round or flat on the ends,[17] ex: Pumpkin;[9][18][19] includes C. pepo subsp. pepo var. styriaca, used for Styrian pumpkin seed oil[21]
Scallop	C. pepo var. clypeata; called C. melopepo by Linnaeus[6]		summer squash, prefers half-shrubby habitat, flattened or slightly discoidal shape, with undulations or equatorial edges,[17] ex: Pattypan squash[9][18][19]
Straightneck	C. pepo var. recticollis		summer squash, shrubby plant, with yellow or golden fruit and verrucose rind, similar to var. torticollia but a stem end that narrows,[17] ex: Yellow summer squash[9][18][19]
Vegetable marrow	C. pepo var. fastigata		summer and winter squashes, creeper traits and a semi-shrub, cream to dark green color, short round fruit with a slightly broad apex,[17] ex: Spaghetti squash (a winter variety)[9][18][19]
Zucchini	C. pepo var. cylindrica		summer squash, presently the most common group of cultivars, origin is recent (19th century), semi-shrubby, cylindrical fruit with a mostly consistent diameter,[17] similar to fastigata, ex: Zucchini[9][18][19]
Ornamental gourds	C. pepo var. ovifera		non-edible,[20] field pumpkins closely related to C. texana, vine habitat, thin stems, small leaves, three sub-groups: C. pepo var. ovifera (egg-shaped, pear-shaped), C. pepo var. aurantia (orange color), and C. pepo var. verrucosa (round warty gourds), ornamental gourds found in Texas and called var. texana and ornamental gourds found outside of Texas (Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana) are called var. ozarkana.[8]

Description

Due to their varied genetic background, members of C. pepo vary widely in appearance, primarily in regards to their fruits. The plants are typically 1-2.5 feet high, 2-3 feet wide, and have yellow flowers.^[22] Within C. pepo, the pumpkins, scallops, and possibly crooknecks are ancient and were domesticated separately. The domesticated species have larger fruits and larger yet fewer seeds.^[15] Parthenocarpy is known to occur in certain cultivars of C. pepo.^[23][24]

Cultivars

C. pepo includes a wide assortment of varieties and cultivars:^[5]

• Acorn squash
• Delicata squash
• Dodi marrow, grown in South Asia^[25]
• Gem squash
• Heart of gold squash
• Kamo Kamo, also called Kumi kumi, an heirloom summer and winter squash grown by the Māori people of New Zealand.^[26]
• Several types of ornamental squash (often called "gourds")
• Pattypan squash
• Several types of pumpkin
• Spaghetti squash
• Sweet dumpling squash
• Yellow crookneck squash
• Yellow summer squash
• Zucchini, also known as [vegetable] marrow or courgette

Uses

It is an ingredient in "schumaakwe cakes" and is used externally for rheumatism and swelling. A poultice of seeds and blossoms is applied to cactus scratches.^[27] Fresh squash is cut into spiral strips, folded into hanks and hung up to dry for winter use. The blossoms are cooked in grease and used as a delicacy in combination with other foods. Fresh squash, either whole or in pieces, is roasted in ashes and used for food. The gourds made into cups, ladles and dippers and put to various uses.^[28] The gourds are also worn in phallic dances symbolizing fructification or made into ceremonial rattles. Gourds are also made into receptacles for storing precious articles.^[29] It is approved for treatment of prostate disorders in Germany.^[30]

Gallery

• 

  'Delicata' squash

• 

  Pattypan squash

• 

  Connecticut Field variety

• 

  Spaghetti squash

• 

  var. styriaca

• 

  Male flower of zucchini

• 

  Baby zucchini

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cucurbita pepo.

v t e Cucurbita List of gourds and squashes Species C. andreana C. argyrosperma C. cordata C. digitata C. californica C. cylindrata C. ecuadorensis C. ficifolia C. foetidissima C. fraterna C. galeottii C. gracilior C. kellyana C. lundelliana C. martinezii C. maxima C. moorei C. moschata C. okeechobeensis C. palmata C. palmeri C. pedatifolia C. pepo C. radicans C. scabridifolia C. sororia C. texana Squashes Summer squash Gem squash Pattypan squash Tromboncino Yellow crookneck squash Yellow summer squash Zucchini Winter squash Acorn squash Big Max Butternut squash Kabocha Red kuri squash Spaghetti squash Turban squash Pumpkins 1068 Wallace Atlantic Giant Prizewinner List of pumpkin varieties Squash-based products Raw materials Buffalo gourd oil Pumpkin seed oil Dishes Pie Soup Mashed pumpkin Pepita Hitlerszalonna Activities Pumpkin chunking Pumpkin queen Pumpkin carving