Cucurbita cordata

Cucurbita cordata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Cucurbita
Species: C. cordata
Binomial name
Cucurbita cordata
S.Wats.

Cucurbita cordata is a species of flowering plant in the squash family.[1][2] It is similar to Cucurbita californica, Cucurbita cylindrata, Cucurbita digitata, and Cucurbita palmata and all these species hybridize readily.[3] These species form the only restricted xerophyte species group in the genus Cucurbita. Each member of this species group is native to the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico where they are relatively uncommon. Each group member is found in hot, arid regions with low rainfall. They prefer soil that is loose, gravelly, and well-drained. C. cordata is found only in the vicinity of Bahía de los Ángeles, Baja California. Botanists Bemis and Whitaker suggest that C. cordata and C. cylindrata may be a case of sympatric speciation. The juvenile leaves of C. cylindrata, C. cordata, C. digitata, and C. palmata show a high degree of similarity, but their mature leaves are visibly different, as are their root structures. C. cordata fruits are gray green, striped, and round.[4]

It was first identified by Sereno Watson in 1889.[2]

References

  1. ↑ GRIN (February 17, 1997). "Cucurbita cordata S. Watson". Taxonomy for Plants. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland: USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nee, Michael (1990). "The Domestication of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae)". Economic Botany (New York: New York Botanical Gardens Press) 44 (3, Supplement: New Perspectives on the Origin and Evolution of New World Domesticated Plants): 56–68. JSTOR 4255271.
  3. ↑ Puchalski, J. T.; Robinson, R. W. (1978). "Comparative Electrophoretic Analysis of Isozymes in Cucurbita Species". Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report (Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University) 1: 28.
  4. ↑ Bemis, W. P.; Whitaker, Thomas W. (April 1969). "The Xerophytic Cucurbita of Northwestern Mexico and Southwestern United States". Madroño (California Botanical Society) 20 (2): 33–41. JSTOR 41423342.

External links

External identifiers for Cucurbita cordata
Encyclopedia of Life 5734177