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''Cucurbita moschata'' is a species originating in either Central America or northern South America. It includes
cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
s known as
squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
or
pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
. ''C. moschata'' cultivars are generally more tolerant of hot, humid weather than cultivars of '' C. maxima'' or '' C. pepo''. They also generally display a greater resistance to disease and insects, especially to the
squash vine borer The squash vine borer (''Melittia cucurbitae'') is a diurnal species of sesiid moth. The moth is often mistaken for a bee or wasp because of its movements, and the bright orange hind leg scales. The females typically lay their eggs at the base ...
. Commercially made
pumpkin pie Pumpkin pie is a dessert pie with a spiced, pumpkin-based custard filling. The pumpkin and pumpkin pie are both a symbol of harvest time, and pumpkin pie is generally eaten during the fall and early winter. In the United States and Canada it is u ...
mix is most often made from varieties of ''C. moschata''. The ancestral species of the genus ''
Cucurbita ''Cucurbita'' (Latin for gourd) is a genus of herbaceous fruits in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae (also known as ''cucurbits'' or ''cucurbi''), native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five edible species are grown and consumed for their flesh and ...
'' were present in the Americas before the arrival of humans. Evolutionarily speaking the genus is relatively recent in origin as no species within the genus is genetically isolated from all the other species. ''C. moschata'' acts as the genetic bridge within the genus and is closest to the genus' progenitor. All species of squashes and pumpkins are native to the Western Hemisphere.Victor E. Boswell and Else Bostelmann. "Our Vegetable Travelers." ''The National Geographic Magazine.'' 96.2: August 1949. ''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. This species and ''C. pepo'' apparently originated in the same general area, Mexico and Central America. Both are important food plants of the original people of the region, ranking next to maize and beans. The flowers and the mature seeds, and the flesh of the fruit are eaten in some areas. Before the arrival of Europeans, ''C. moschata'' and ''C. pepo'' had been carried over all parts of North America where they could be grown. Still, they had not been carried into South America as had beans, which originated in the same general region. They were generally grown by indigenous people all over what is now the United States. Many of these peoples, particularly in the west, still grow a diversity of hardy squashes and pumpkins not to be found in commercial markets.


Varieties

Cultivars include: * Al Hachi – a
winter squash Winter squash is an annual fruit representing several squash species within the genus ''Cucurbita''. Late-growing, less symmetrical, odd-shaped, rough or warty varieties, small to medium in size, but with long-keeping qualities and hard rinds, are ...
used in
Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...
, usually dried *
Aehobak Aehobak ( ko, 애호박), also called Korean zucchini or Korean courgette, is an edible, green to yellow-green summer squash. Although nearly all summer squashes are varieties of ''Cucurbita pepo'', aehobak belongs to the species ''Cucurbita mo ...
– a
summer squash Summer squash are squashes that are harvested when immature, while the rind is still tender and edible. Nearly all summer squashes are varieties of ''Cucurbita pepo'', although not all ''Cucurbita pepo'' are considered summer squashes. Most summ ...
, 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. *
Butternut squash Butternut squash ('' Cucurbita moschata''), known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin or gramma, is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has tan-yellow skin an ...
– a popular
winter squash Winter squash is an annual fruit representing several squash species within the genus ''Cucurbita''. Late-growing, less symmetrical, odd-shaped, rough or warty varieties, small to medium in size, but with long-keeping qualities and hard rinds, are ...
in much of North America *
Calabaza Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to what is also known as the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, t ...
– a commonly grown winter squash in the Caribbean, tropical America, and the Philippines * Dickinson pumpkin –
Libby's Libby's (Libby, McNeill & Libby) was an American company that produced canned food and beverages. The firm was established in 1869 in Chicago, Illinois. The Libby's trademark is currently owned by Libby's Brand Holding based in Geneva, Switzerlan ...
uses a proprietary strain of Dickinson for its canned pumpkin * Giromon – a large, green cultivar, grown primarily in the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
.
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
ans use it to make the traditional "soupe giromon". * Golden Cushaw – Similar in shape but a different species than the common ''Cucurbita argyrosperma'' "cushaw" type. * Loche – a
landrace A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isolation ...
of squashes from Peru. * Liscia – grows early in the season, reaching maturation after 115 to 130 days * 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. * 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 * São Paulo pumpkin or Abóbora paulista is a butternut-shaped variety with well-defined white and green stripes along its length *
Seminole pumpkin The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and ...
– an heirloom variety originally cultivated by the
Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...
people of what is now
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
* Tromboncino – a summer squash, also known as "Zucchetta"


Gallery

File:Aehobak (cropped).jpg,
Aehobak Aehobak ( ko, 애호박), also called Korean zucchini or Korean courgette, is an edible, green to yellow-green summer squash. Although nearly all summer squashes are varieties of ''Cucurbita pepo'', aehobak belongs to the species ''Cucurbita mo ...
or "Korean zucchini" File:Signal-2021-11-25-132026.jpg, Brazilian crook neck or Abóbora de pescoço File:Cucurbita moschata Butternut 2012 G2.jpg,
Butternut squash Butternut squash ('' Cucurbita moschata''), known in Australia and New Zealand as butternut pumpkin or gramma, is a type of winter squash that grows on a vine. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has tan-yellow skin an ...
File:Bunga nin kalabasa.jpg,
Calabaza Calabaza is the generic name in the Spanish language for any type of winter squash. Within an English-language context it specifically refers to what is also known as the West Indian pumpkin, a winter squash typically grown in the West Indies, t ...
File:Cucurbita moschata Crookneck group - neck and trombone mature squashes.jpg, Trombetta File:Cucurbita moschata (giraumon 4).jpg, Giromon File:Cucurbita moschata Long Island Cheese squash.jpg, Long Island cheese
pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
File:Cucurbita moschata Musquée de Provence - "Courge musquée" squash gourd.jpg, Musquée de Provence (young) File:Musquee de Provence.jpg, Musquée de Provence (mature) File:Cucurbita moschata Long of Naples Squash.jpg, Naples long squash File:Cucurbita moschata 'Tromboncino'.jpg, ''Tromboncino''


References


External links

* * {{Authority control moschata Squashes and pumpkins