''Cucurbita californica'' is a species of flowering plant in the
squash family.
The species was first identified by
Sereno Watson
Sereno Watson (December 1, 1826 in East Windsor Hill, Connecticut – March 9, 1892 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) was an American botanist.
Graduating from Yale in 1847 in Biology, he drifted through various occupations until, in California, he j ...
in 1876.
There is disagreement about whether this is a separate species from ''
Cucurbita palmata''.
In 1883 botanist C. C. Parry reported it was distinguishable from ''C. palmata'' by its smaller fruit and foliage, and fruit that is a dull green with thin ridges.
It is similar to ''
Cucurbita cordata'', ''
Cucurbita cylindrata'', ''
Cucurbita digitata'', and ''
Cucurbita palmata'' and all these species hybridize readily.
References
californica
Plants described in 1876
Squashes and pumpkins
{{Cucurbitales-stub