Cucurbita moschata
Cucurbita moschata | |
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Butternut squash, a variety of Cucurbita moschata | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Cucurbitales |
Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
Genus: | Cucurbita |
Species: | C. moschata
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Binomial name | |
Cucurbita moschata | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Cucurbita moschata is a species originating in either Central America or northern South America.
All species of squashes and pumpkins are native to the Western Hemisphere.[4] C. moschata, represented by such varieties as Cushaw and Winter Crookneck Squashes, and Japanese Pie and Large Cheese Pumpkins, is a long-vining plant native to Mexico and Central America.[4] This species and C. pepo apparently originated in the same general area, Mexico and Central America.[4] Both are important food plants of the original people of the region, ranking next to maize and beans.[4] The flowers and the mature seeds, and the flesh of the fruit are eaten in some areas.[4]
Before the arrival of Europeans, C. moschata and C. pepo had been carried over all parts of North America where they could be grown.[4] Still, they had not been carried into South America as had beans, which originated in the same general region.[4] They were generally grown by indigenous people all over what is now the United States.[4] Many of these peoples, particularly in the west, still grow a diversity of hardy squashes and pumpkins not to be found in commercial markets.[4]
Varieties
Cultivars include:
- Al Hachi – a winter squash used in Kashmir, usually dried
- Aehobak – a summer squash, also called Korean zucchini
- Brazilian crook neck, Abóbora de pescoço or Abóbora seca – a large, curved-neck variety with deep orange flesh and dark green skin with light orange highlights found in Brazil.[5]
- Butternut squash – a popular winter squash in much of North America
- Calabaza – a commonly grown winter squash in the Caribbean, tropical America, and the Philippines
- Dickinson pumpkin – Libby's uses a proprietary strain of Dickinson for its canned pumpkin[6][7]
- Giromon – a large, green cultivar, grown primarily in the Caribbean. Haitians use it to make the traditional "soupe giromon".[8]
- Golden Cushaw – Similar in shape but a different species than the common Cucurbita argyrosperma "cushaw" type.
- Loche – a landrace of squashes from Peru.[9]
- Liscia – grows early in the season, reaching maturation after 115 to 130 days[10]
- Long Island cheese pumpkin – the exterior resembles a wheel of cheese in shape, color, and texture
- Musquée de Provence, Moscata di Provenza or Fairytale pumpkin – a large hybrid from France with sweet, fragrant, deep-orange flesh often sold by the slice due to its size. [11]
- Naples long squash or Courge pleine de Naples – a large, long squash with deep green skin and small bulb at the end. It is 10 to 25 kg on average and found in France and Italy[12]
- São Paulo pumpkin or Abóbora paulista is a butternut-shaped variety with well-defined white and green stripes along its length
- Seminole pumpkin – an heirloom variety originally cultivated by the Seminole people of what is now Florida[13]
- Tromboncino – a summer squash, also known as "Zucchetta"[14]
Gallery
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Aehobak or "Korean zucchini"
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Brazilian crook neck or Abóbora de pescoço
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Trombetta
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Giromon
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Long Island cheese pumpkin
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Musquée de Provence (young)
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Musquée de Provence (mature)
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Naples long squash
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Tromboncino
References
- ^ The Plant List, Cucurbita moschata
- ISBN 9781420027518.
- JSTOR 2484762.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Victor E. Boswell and Else Bostelmann. "Our Vegetable Travelers." The National Geographic Magazine. 96.2: August 1949.
- ^ "Abóbora-de-Pescoço". Instituto Brasil a Gosto. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ "Pumpkins". www.agmrc.org. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ^ Arumugam, Nadia. "Why You Want Canned Pumpkin For A Better Pie, Not Fresh". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
- ISBN 0-313-31240-0.
- ^ Andres TC, R Ugás, F Bustamante. 2006. Loche: A unique pre-Columbian squash locally grown in North Coastal Peru. In: Proceedings of Cucurbitaceae 2006. G.J. Holmes (eds.) Universal Press, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. pp. 333-340. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237805567_Loche_a_Unique_Pre-Columbian_Squash_Locally_Grown_in_North_Coastal_Peru
- .
- ^ "Squash". What's Cooking America. 13 November 2015. Retrieved 2021-11-25.
- ^ Marie, Isa (14 September 2011). "La Courge Pleine de Naples". Grelinette et Cassolettes. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- JSTOR 2446379.
- ^ "Zucchetta". Mount Vernon Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center: Vegetable Research and Extension. Washington State University. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
External links
- Media related to Cucurbita moschata at Wikimedia Commons
- Data related to Cucurbita moschata at Wikispecies