''Cucurbita lundelliana'' is a mesophyte plant 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 ...

''. It is native to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

, and

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

. It has not been domesticated. It is found in the Yucatán region near sea level among

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cliffs. In Guatemala it is found in Parque Nacional Yaxha Nakum Naranjo along Rio Ixtinto and near Laguna Julequito (west of west end of Lake Yaxha). It has yellow-orange

corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name * Corolla (headgear), an ancient headdress in the form of a circlet or crown * ''Corolla'' (gastropod), a genus of moll ...

s and gray-green seeds. Its leaves are slightly similar to those of '' Cucurbita ficifolia''. It is resistant to powdery mildew and

crown rot A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

. In 1962 the first successful cross of a wild ''Cucurbita'' with a domesticated ''Cucurbita'' occurred. In that study by Whitaker, ''C. lundelliana'' was mostly dominant in a cross with '' Cucurbita moschata''. The purpose of the study was to find the ancestral plant species of the domesticated ''Cucurbita''. ''C. lundelliana'' crosses rather well with the five cultivated species of ''Cucurbita''. The species was formally described by

Liberty Hyde Bailey Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858 – December 25, 1954) was an American horticulturist and reformer of rural life. He was cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press ...

in 1943, in ''Gentes Herbarum''.

References

External links

lundelliana Squashes and pumpkins Flora of Belize Flora of Guatemala Flora of Mexico Plants described in 1943 {{Cucurbitales-stub