Cucurbita#Culinary uses

Cucurbita species fall into two main groups. The first group consists of annual or short-lived perennial vines which are mesophytic, meaning they require a more or less continuous water supply. The second group are perennials growing in arid zones which are xerophytic, meaning they tolerate dry conditions. Cultivated Cucurbita species were derived from the first group. Growing {{convert|5|to|15|m|ft|round=5|abbr=off|sp=us}} in height or length, the plant stem produces tendrils to help it climb adjacent plants and structures or extend along the ground. Most species do not readily root from the nodes; a notable exception is C. ficifolia, and the four other cultivated mesophytes do this to a lesser extent. The vine of the perennial Cucurbita can become semiwoody if left to grow. There is wide variation in size, shape, and color among Cucurbita fruits, and even within a single species. C. ficifolia is an exception, being highly uniform in appearance.{{cite journal | last1 = Nee | first1 = Michael | year = 1990 | title = The Domestication of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae) | journal = Economic Botany | volume = 44 | issue = 3, Supplement: New Perspectives on the Origin and Evolution of New World Domesticated Plants | pages = 56–68 | publisher = New York Botanical Gardens Press | location = New York | jstor = 4255271| doi = 10.1007/BF02860475 | bibcode = 1990EcBot..44S..56N | s2cid = 40493539 }} The morphological variation in the species C. pepo{{cite journal | last1 = Decker-Walters | first1 = Deena S. | last2 = Staub | first2 = Jack E. | last3 = Chung | first3 = Sang-Min | last4 = Nakata | first4 = Eijiro | last5 = Quemada | first5 = Hector D. | year = 2002 | title = Diversity in Free-Living Populations of Cucurbita pepo (Cucurbitaceae) as Assessed by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA | journal = Systematic Botany | volume = 27 | issue = 1 | pages = 19–28 | publisher = American Society of Plant Taxonomists | jstor = 3093892 }} and C. maxima{{cite journal|last=Millán|first=R.|title= Variaciones del Zapallito Amargo Cucurbita andreana y el Origen de Cucurbita maxima|journal=Revista Argentina de Agronomía|year=1945|volume= 12|pages=86–93|language=es}} is so vast that its various subspecies and cultivars have been misidentified as totally separate species.

The typical cultivated Cucurbita species has five-lobed or palmately divided leaves with long petioles, with the leaves alternately arranged on the stem. The stems in some species are angular. All of the above-ground parts may be hairy with various types of trichomes, which are often hardened and sharp. Spring-like tendrils grow from each node and are branching in some species. C. argyrosperma has ovate-cordate (egg-shaped to heart-shaped) leaves. The shape of C. pepo leaves varies widely. C. moschata plants can have light or dense pubescence. C. ficifolia leaves are slightly angular and have light pubescence. The leaves of all four of these species may or may not have white spots.

The species are monoecious, with unisexual male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers on a single plant and these grow singly, appearing from the leaf axils. Flowers have five fused yellow to orange petals (the corolla) and a green bell-shaped calyx. Male flowers in Cucurbitaceae generally have five stamens, but in Cucurbita there are only three, and their anthers are joined so that there appears to be one.{{cite book |last=Mabberley |first=D. J. |year=2008 |title=The Plant Book: A Portable Dictionary of the Vascular Plants |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-521-82071-4 |page=235}}{{cite web |last1=Lu |first1=Anmin |last2=Jeffrey |first2=Charles |work=Flora of China |title=Cucurbita Linnaeus |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=108644 |access-date=February 21, 2015 |archive-date=September 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906013041/http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=108644 |url-status=live }} Female flowers have thick pedicels, and an inferior ovary with 3–5 stigmas that each have two lobes. The female flowers of C. argyrosperma and C. ficifolia have larger corollas than the male flowers. Female flowers of C. pepo have a small calyx, but the calyx of C. moschata male flowers is comparatively short.

Cucurbita fruits are large and fleshy. Botanists classify the Cucurbita fruit as a pepo, which is a special type of berry derived from an inferior ovary, with a thick outer wall or rind with hypanthium tissue forming an exocarp around the ovary, and a fleshy interior composed of mesocarp and endocarp. The term "pepo" is used primarily for Cucurbitaceae fruits, where this fruit type is common, but the fruits of Passiflora and Carica are sometimes also pepos.{{cite web |url=http://www.worldbotanical.com/fruit_types.htm |title=A Systematic Treatment of Fruit Types |publisher=Worldbotanical |access-date=October 10, 2013 |archive-date=July 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713022453/http://www.worldbotanical.com/fruit_types.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Schrager|first=Victor |title=The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds |publisher=Artisan |location=New York |year=2004 |page=25 |isbn=978-1-57965-251-7}} The seeds, which are attached to the ovary wall (parietal placentation) and not to the center, are large and fairly flat with a large embryo that consists almost entirely of two cotyledons. Fruit size varies considerably: wild fruit specimens can be as small as {{convert|4|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=off|sp=us}} and some domesticated specimens can weigh well over {{convert|300|kg|lb|abbr=off|sp=us}}. The current world record was set in 2014 by Beni Meier of Switzerland with a {{convert|2323.7|lb|kg|0|abbr=on|adj=on|order=flip}} pumpkin.{{cite news |title=2014 – Beni Meier and his 2323.7 pound World Record Giant Pumpkin! |url=http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=186&gid=62 |publisher=BigPumpkins.com |access-date=February 12, 2016 |date=2014 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304025635/http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=186&gid=62 |url-status=live }}

File:Cucurbita moschata leaves.jpg|The leaves of Cucurbita moschata often have white spots near the veins.

File:Cucurbita 2011 G1 Large.jpg|Two bright orange C. pepo pumpkins, centre right; the rest are squashes, C. maxima

File:Peponapis pruinosaCane-12.JPGs]]

All species of Cucurbita have 20 pairs of chromosomes.{{cite journal |last1=Rhodes |first1=A. M. |last2=Bemis |first2=W. P. |last3=Whitaker |first3=Thomas W. |last4=Carmer |first4=S. G. |year=1968 |title=A Numerical Taxonomic Study of Cucurbita |journal=Brittonia |publisher=New York Botanical Garden Press |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=251–266 |doi=10.2307/2805450 |jstor=2805450 |bibcode=1968Britt..20..251R |s2cid=6973668}}

Many North and Central American species are visited by specialist pollinators in the apid tribe Eucerini, especially the genera Peponapis and Xenoglossa, and these squash bees can be crucial to the flowers producing fruit after pollination.{{cite journal |last1=Hurd |first1=Paul D. |last2=Linsley |first2=E. Gorton |year=1971 |title=Squash and Gourd Bees (Peponapis, Xenoglossa) and the Origin of the Cultivated Cucurbita |journal=Evolution |location=St. Louis, MO |publisher=Society for the Study of Evolution |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=218–234 |doi=10.2307/2406514 |jstor=2406514 |pmid=28562933}}{{cite journal |last1=Whitaker |first1=Thomas W. |last2=Bemis |first2=W. P. |year=1964 |title=Evolution in the Genus Cucurbita |journal=Evolution |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=553–559 |doi=10.2307/2406209 |jstor=2406209}}

File:Cucurbita maxima Zapallo Plomo semillería Costanzi - flowers detail (masculine) - male flower, some petals and 1 filament removed.jpg

When there is more pollen applied to the stigma, more seeds are produced in the fruits and the fruits are larger with greater likelihood of maturation,{{Cite journal |last1=Winsor |first1=J. A. |last2=Davis |first2=L. E. |last3=Stephenson |first3=A. G. |year=1987 |title=The Relationship Between Pollen Load and Fruit Maturation and the Effect of Pollen Load on Offspring Vigor in Cucurbita pepo |journal=The American Naturalist |volume=129 |issue=5 |pages=643–656 |doi=10.1086/284664 |jstor=2461727 |s2cid=84901190}} an effect called xenia. Competitively grown specimens are therefore often hand-pollinated to maximize the number of seeds in the fruit.{{cite journal |last=Robinson |first=Richard W. |year=2000 |title=Rationale and Methods for Producing Hybrid Cucurbit Seed |journal=Journal of New Seeds |volume=1 |issue=3–4 |pages=1–47 |doi=10.1300/J153v01n03_01 |s2cid=85158524}}{{cite journal |last1=Stephenson |first1=Andrew G. |last2=Devlin |first2=B. |last3=Horton |first3=J. Brian |year=1988 |title=The Effects of Seed Number and Prior Fruit Dominance on the Pattern of Fruit Production in Cucurbita pepo (Zucchini Squash) |journal=Annals of Botany |volume=62 |issue=6 |pages=653–661 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.aob.a087705}} Seedlessness is known to occur in certain cultivars of C. pepo.{{cite journal |last1=Robinson |first1=R. W. |last2=Reiners |first2=Stephen |date=July 1999 |title=Parthenocarpy in Summer Squash |url=http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/34/4/715.full.pdf |url-status=live |journal=HortScience |volume=34 |issue=4 |pages=715–717 |doi=10.21273/HORTSCI.34.4.715 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106115239/http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/34/4/715.full.pdf |archive-date=2015-11-06 |access-date=2013-11-07 |doi-access=free}}{{cite journal |last1=Menezes |first1=C. B. |last2=Maluf |first2=W. R. |last3=Azevedo |first3=S. M. |last4=Faria |first4=M. V. |last5=Nascimento |first5=I. R. |last6=Gomez |first6=L. A. |last7=Bearzoti |first7=E. |date=March 2005 |title=Inheritance of Parthenocarpy in Summer Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.). |journal=Genetics and Molecular Research |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=39–46 |pmid=15841434}}

Critical factors in flowering and fruit set are physiological, having to do with the age of the plant and whether it already has developing fruit.{{cite journal |last1=Stapleton |first1=Suzanne Cady |last2=Wien |first2=H. Chris |last3=Morse |first3=Roger A. |year=2000 |title=Flowering and Fruit Set of Pumpkin Cultivars under Field Conditions |journal=HortScience |volume=35 |issue=6 |pages=1074–1077 |doi=10.21273/HORTSCI.35.6.1074 |issn=0018-5345 |doi-access=free}} The plant hormones ethylene and auxin are key in fruit set and development.{{cite journal |last1=Martínez |first1=Cecelia |last2=Manzano |first2=Susana |last3=Megías |first3=Zoraida |last4=Garrido |first4=Dolores |last5=Picó |first5=Belén |last6=Jamilena |first6=Manuel |year=2013 |title=Involvement of Ethylene Biosynthesis and Signalling in Fruit Set and Early Fruit Development in Zucchini Squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) |journal=BMC Plant Biology |volume=13 |issue=139 |pages=139 |doi=10.1186/1471-2229-13-139 |issn=1471-2229 |pmc=3856489 |pmid=24053311 |doi-access=free}} Ethylene promotes the production of female flowers. When a plant already has a fruit developing, subsequent female flowers on the plant are less likely to mature, a phenomenon called "first-fruit dominance", and male flowers are more frequent, an effect that appears due to reduced natural ethylene production within the plant stem.{{Cite journal |last1=Krupnick |first1=Gary A. |last2=Brown |first2=Kathleen M. |last3=Stephenson |first3=Andrew G. |year=1999 |title=The Influence of Fruit on the Regulation of Internal Ethylene Concentrations and Sex Expression in Cucurbita texana |journal=International Journal of Plant Sciences |volume=160 |issue=2 |pages=321–330 |doi=10.1086/314120 |s2cid=85794143}} Ethephon, a plant growth regulator product that is converted to ethylene after metabolism by the plant, can be used to increase fruit and seed production.{{cite journal |last=Murray |first=M. |year=1987 |title=Field Applications Of Ethephon For Hybrid And Open-Pollinated Squash (Cucurbita Spp) Seed Production |journal=Acta Horticulturae |volume=201 |issue=201 |pages=149–156 |doi=10.17660/ActaHortic.1987.201.15}} Although Cucurbita species can generally produce healthy fruit after pollination from the same plant, inbreeding depression can significantly reduce seed number and fruit size.{{citation |author=Inácio, Cardoso |year=2004 |title=Depression by inbreeding after four successive self-pollination squash generations |journal=Scientia Agricola |volume=61 |doi=10.1590/S0103-90162004000200016|hdl=11449/5322 |hdl-access=free }}

The plant hormone gibberellin, produced in the stamens, is essential for the development of all parts of the male flowers. The development of female flowers is not yet understood.{{cite journal |last1=Pimenta Lange |first1=Maria João |last2=Knop |first2=Nicole |last3=Lange |first3=Theo |year=2012 |title=Stamen-derived Bioactive Gibberellin is Essential for Male Flower Development of Cucurbita maxima L. |journal=Journal of Experimental Botany |volume=63 |issue=7 |pages=2681–2691 |doi=10.1093/jxb/err448 |pmc=3346225 |pmid=22268154}} Gibberellin is also involved in other developmental processes of plants, such as seed and stem growth.{{cite web |title=Plant Hormones |url=http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/agriculture/production/3359/plant_hormones_answers.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116140049/http://www.hsc.csu.edu.au/agriculture/production/3359/plant_hormones_answers.htm |archive-date=January 16, 2014 |access-date=January 15, 2014 |publisher=Charles Sturt University}}

File:Kabocha (GH) 21June2005 sown 14June.JPG seedling seven days after being sown]]

Seeds with maximum germination potential develop (in C. moschata) by 45 days after anthesis, and seed weight reaches its maximum 70 days after anthesis.{{Cite journal |last1=Wilson |first1=Mack A. |last2=Splittstoesser |first2=Walter E. |year=1980 |title=The Relationship Between Embryo Axis Weight and Reserve Protein During Development and Pumpkin Seed Germination |journal=Journal of Seed Technology |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=35–41 |jstor=23432821}} Some varieties of C. pepo germinate best with eight hours of sunlight daily and a planting depth of {{convert|12|mm|in|frac=8|sp=us}}. Seeds planted deeper than {{convert|125|mm|in|frac=4|sp=us}} are not likely to germinate.{{Cite journal |last1=Oliver |first1=Lawrence R. |last2=Harrison |first2=Steve A. |last3=McClelland |first3=Marilyn |year=1983 |title=Germination of Texas Gourd (Cucurbita texana) and Its Control in Soybeans (Glycine max) |journal=Weed Science |volume=31 |issue=5 |pages=700–706 |doi=10.1017/S0043174500070211 |jstor=4043694 |s2cid=182243467}} In C. foetidissima, a weedy species, plants younger than 19 days old are not able to sprout from the roots after removing the shoots. In a seed batch with 90 percent germination rate, over 90 percent of the plants had sprouted after 29 days from planting.{{Cite journal |last1=Horak |first1=Michael J. |last2=Sweat |first2=Jonathan K. |year=1994 |title=Germination, Emergence, and Seedling Establishment of Buffalo Gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima) |journal=Weed Science |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=358–363 |doi=10.1017/S0043174500076621 |jstor=4045510 |s2cid=132074382}}

Experiments have shown that when more pollen is applied to the stigma, as well as the fruit containing more seeds and being larger (the xenia effect mentioned above), the germination of the seeds is also faster and more likely, and the seedlings are larger. Various combinations of mineral nutrients and light have a significant effect during the various stages of plant growth. These effects vary significantly between the different species of Cucurbita. A type of stored phosphorus called phytate forms in seed tissues as spherical crystalline intrusions in protein bodies called globoids. Along with other nutrients, phytate is used completely during seedling growth.{{cite journal |last1=Beecroft |first1=Penny |last2=Lott |first2=John N. A. |year=1996 |title=Changes in the Element Composition of Globoids From Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita andreana Cotyledons During Early Seedling Growth |journal=Canadian Journal of Botany |volume=74 |issue=6 |pages=838–847 |doi=10.1139/b96-104|bibcode=1996CaJB...74..838B }} Heavy metal contamination, including cadmium, has a significant negative impact on plant growth.{{cite journal |last1=Subin |first1=M. P. |last2=Francis |first2=Steffy |year=2013 |title=Phytotoxic Effects of Cadmium on Seed Germination, Early Seedling Growth and Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Cucurbita maxima Duchesne |journal=International Research Journal of Biological Sciences |volume=2 |issue=9 |pages=40–47 |doi=10.1139/b96-104|bibcode=1996CaJB...74..838B }} Cucurbita plants grown in the spring tend to grow larger than those grown in the autumn.{{cite journal |last1=Fenner |first1=G. P. |last2=Patteron |first2=G. W. |last3=Lusby |first3=W. R. |year=1989 |title=Developmental Regulation of Sterol Biosynthesis in Cucurbita maxima L. |journal=Lipids |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=271–277 |doi=10.1007/BF02535162 |s2cid=37220982}}

Cucurbita was formally described in a way that meets the requirements of modern botanical nomenclature by Linnaeus in his Genera Plantarum,{{cite book |chapter=Cucurbita |title=Genera Plantarum |author-link=Carl Linnaeus |first=Carl |last=Linnaeus |year=1754 |page=441 |volume=1 |publisher=Impensis Laurentii Salvii via Biodiversity Heritage Library |location=Stockholm |chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/14678#page/476/mode/1up |access-date=2018-02-20 |archive-date=2017-10-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001122929/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/14678#page/476/mode/1up |url-status=live }} the fifth edition of 1754 in conjunction with the 1753 first edition of Species Plantarum.{{cite book |chapter=Cucurbita |title=Species Plantarum |last=Linnaeus |first=Carl |year=1753 |publisher=Impensis Laurentii Salvii via Biodiversity Heritage Library |location=Stockholm |volume=2 |page=1010 |chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/359031#page/452/mode/1up |access-date=2018-02-20 |archive-date=2017-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702060402/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/359031#page/452/mode/1up |url-status=live }} Cucurbita pepo is the type species of the genus.{{cite journal |title=Cucurbita |journal=The Linnaean Plant Name Typification Project |year=2022 |url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/linnaean-typification/database/list.dsml?Genusqtype=starts+with&Genus=Cucurbita&Speciesqtype=starts+with&Species=pepo&Varqtype=starts+with&Var=&Ref=&CGenusqtype=starts+with&CGenus=&CSpeciesqtype=starts+with&CSpecies=&CSspqtype=starts+with&CSsp=&CVarqtype=starts+with&CVar=&Family=&sort=Genus%2CSpecies |publisher=Natural History Museum |doi=10.5519/qwv6u7j5 |access-date=November 4, 2013 |author1=Natural History Museum |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129044110/http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/linnaean-typification/database/list.dsml?Genusqtype=starts+with&Genus=Cucurbita&Speciesqtype=starts+with&Species=pepo&Varqtype=starts+with&Var=&Ref=&CGenusqtype=starts+with&CGenus=&CSpeciesqtype=starts+with&CSpecies=&CSspqtype=starts+with&CSsp=&CVarqtype=starts+with&CVar=&Family=&sort=Genus%2CSpecies |url-status=live }} Linnaeus initially included the species C. pepo, C. verrucosa and C. melopepo (both now included in C. pepo), as well as C. citrullus (watermelon, now Citrullus lanatus) and C. lagenaria (now Lagenaria siceraria) (both are not Cucurbita but are in the family Cucurbitaceae.{{cite web |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=cucurbita |work=The Plant List |title=Cucurbita |access-date=1 January 2015 |archive-date=17 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190317222125/http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=Cucurbita |url-status=live }}

The Cucurbita digitata, C. foetidissima, C. galeotti, and C. pedatifolia species groups are xerophytes, arid zone perennials with storage roots; the remainder, including the five domesticated species, are all mesophytic annuals or short-life perennials with no storage roots.{{cite journal |author1=Whitaker, T.W. |author2=Bemis, W.P. |year=1975 |title=Origin and Evolution of the Cultivated Cucurbita |journal=Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club |volume=102 |issue=6 |pages=362–368 |jstor=2484762 |doi=10.2307/2484762}} The five domesticated species are mostly isolated from each other by sterility barriers and have different physiological characteristics. Some cross pollinations can occur: C. pepo with C. argyrosperma and C. moschata; and C. maxima with C. moschata. Cross pollination does occur readily within the family Cucurbitaceae.{{cite web |url=http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/articles/2006/curbits.shtml |title=Curbit Family & Cross-Pollination |publisher=University of Nebraska – Lincoln |last=Janssen |first=Don |date=August 14, 2006 |access-date=January 14, 2015 |archive-date=February 13, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213065650/http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/articles/2006/curbits.shtml |url-status=live }} The buffalo gourd (C. foetidissima) has been used as an intermediary, as it can be crossed with all the common Cucurbita.

File:2006-10-18Cucurbita pepo06.jpg

Various taxonomic treatments have been proposed for Cucurbita, ranging from 13 to 30 species.{{cite book|last1=Burrows|first1=George E.|last2=Tyrl|first2=Ronald J.|title=Toxic Plants of North America|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|year=2013|location=Oxford|pages=389–391|isbn=978-0-8138-2034-7}} In 1990, Cucurbita expert Michael Nee classified them into the following oft-cited 13 species groups (27 species total), listed by group and alphabetically, with geographic origin:{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?3164 |title=GRIN Species Records of Genus Cucurbita |author=GRIN |work=Taxonomy for Plants |publisher=USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program |location=National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland |access-date=September 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924115025/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?3164 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |author-link=Germplasm Resources Information Network }}{{ITIS |id=22365 |taxon=Cucurbita |access-date=September 1, 2013}}{{cite book|last=Goldman|first=Amy|title=The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower's Guide to Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds|year=2004|publisher=Artisan|location=New York|page=77|isbn=978-1-57965-251-7}}

• C. argyrosperma (synonym C. mixta) – cushaw pumpkin; origin: Mexico
• C. kellyana, origin: Pacific coast of western Mexico
• C. palmeri, origin: Pacific coast of northwestern Mexico
• C. sororia, origin: Pacific coast Mexico to Nicaragua, northeastern Mexico
• C. digitata – fingerleaf gourd; origin: southwestern United States (USA), northwestern Mexico
• C. californica
• C. cordata
• C. cylindrata
• C. palmata
• C. ecuadorensis, origin: Ecuador's Pacific coast
• C. ficifolia – figleaf gourd, chilacayote, alcayota; origin: Mexico, Panama, northern Chile and Argentina
• C. foetidissima – stinking gourd, buffalo gourd; origin: Mexico
• C. scabridifolia, likely a natural hybrid of C. foetidissima and C. pedatifolia{{cite journal |last=Andres |first=Thomas C. |year=1987 |title=Relationship of Cucurbita scabridifolia to C. foetidissima and C. pedatifolia: A Case of Natural Interspecific Hybridization |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc10/cgc10-38.html |journal=Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report |volume=10 |pages=74–75 |access-date=2013-09-02 |archive-date=2013-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053838/http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc10/cgc10-38.html |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last=Bailey |first=Liberty Hyde |author-link=Liberty Hyde Bailey |journal=Gentes Herbarum |volume=6 |pages=267–322 |year= 1943 |title=Species of Cucurbita}}
• C. galeottii, little known; origin: Oaxaca, Mexico
• C. lundelliana, origin: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize
• C. maxima – winter squash, pumpkin; origin: Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador
• C. andreana, origin – Argentina
• C. moschata – butternut squash, 'Dickinson' pumpkin, golden cushaw; origin: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela
• C. okeechobeensis, origin: Florida
• C. martinezii, origin: Mexican Gulf Coast and foothills
• C. pedatifolia, origin: Querétaro, Mexico
• C. moorei
• C. pepo – field pumpkin, summer squash, zucchini, vegetable marrow, courgette, acorn squash; origin: Mexico, US
• C. fraterna, origin: Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, Mexico
• C. texana, origin: Texas, US
• C. radicans – calabacilla, calabaza de coyote; origin: Central Mexico
• C. gracilior

The taxonomy by Nee closely matches the species groupings reported in a pair of studies by a botanical team led by Rhodes and Bemis in 1968 and 1970 based on statistical groupings of several phenotypic traits of 21 species. Seeds for studying additional species members were not available. Sixteen of the 21 species were grouped into five clusters with the remaining five being classified separately:{{cite journal | last1 = Bemis | first1 = W. P. | last2 = Rhodes | first2 = A. M. | last3 = Whitaker | first3 = Thomas W. | last4 = Carmer | first4 = S. G. | year = 1970 | title = Numerical Taxonomy Applied to Cucurbita Relationships | journal = American Journal of Botany | volume = 57 | issue = 4 | pages = 404–412 | jstor = 2440868 | doi = 10.2307/2440868}}

• C. digitata, C. palmata, C. californica, C. cylindrata, C. cordata
• C. martinezii, C. okeechobeensis, C. lundelliana
• C. sororia, C. gracilior, C. palmeri; C. argyrosperma (reported as C. mixta) was considered close to the three previous species
• C. maxima, C. andreana
• C. pepo, C. texana
• C. moschata, C. ficifolia, C. pedatifolia, C. foetidissima, and C. ecuadorensis were placed in their own separate species groups as they were not considered significantly close to any of the other species studied.

The full phylogeny of this genus is unknown, and research was ongoing in 2014.{{cite journal |last1=Gon g|first1=L. |last2=Pachner |first2=M. |last3=Kalai |first3=K. |last4=Lelley |first4=T. |journal=Genome |title=SSR-based Genetic Linkage Map of Cucurbita moschata and its Synteny With Cucurbita pepo |date=November 2008 |volume=51 |issue=11 |pages=878–887 |pmid=18956020 |doi=10.1139/G08-072}}{{cite journal |last1=Gong |first1=L. |last2=Stift |first2= G. |last3=Koffler |first3=R. |last4=Pachner |first4=M. |last5=Lelley |first5=T. |journal=Theoretical and Applied Genetics |title=Microsatellites for the Genus Cucurbita and an SSR-based Genetic Linkage Map of Cucurbita pepo L. |date=June 2008 |volume=117 |issue=1 |pages=37–48 |pmid=18379753 |doi=10.1007/s00122-008-0750-2 |pmc=2413107}} The following cladogram of Cucurbita phylogeny is based upon a 2002 study of mitochondrial DNA by Sanjur and colleagues.

{{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:85%;

|1={{clade

|1= Sechium edule

|2={{clade

|1=C. ficifolia

|2={{clade

|1=C. foetidissima

|2={{clade

|1={{clade

|1= C. maxima and C. andreana

|2= C. ecuadorensis

}}

|2={{clade

|1 = C. martinezii

|2= {{clade

|1=C. pepo subspp. fraterna and ovifera

|2= {{clade

|1 = C. pepo subsp. pepo

|2= {{clade

|1 = C. sororia, in part

|2= {{clade

|1 = C. moschata

|2 = C. sororia, in part and C. argyrosperma

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

File:2009 Circleville Pumpkin Show champions.jpg

The ancestral species of the genus Cucurbita were present in the Americas before the arrival of humans,{{cite journal |last1=Bemis |first1=W. P. |last2=Whitaker |first2=Thomas W. |author-link2=Thomas W. Whitaker |date=April 1969 |title=The Xerophytic Cucurbita of Northwestern Mexico and Southwestern United States |journal=Madroño |publisher=California Botanical Society |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=33–41 |jstor=41423342}}{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Bruce D. |date=15 August 2006 |title=Eastern North America as an Independent Center of Plant Domestication |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=103 |issue=33 |pages=12223–12228 |bibcode=2006PNAS..10312223S |doi=10.1073/pnas.0604335103 |pmc=1567861 |pmid=16894156 |doi-access=free}} and are native to the Americas. The likely center of origin is southern Mexico, spreading south through what is now known as Mesoamerica, into South America, and north to what is now the southwestern United States. Evolutionarily speaking, the genus is relatively recent in origin, dating back to the Holocene, whereas the family Cucurbitaceae, represented in Bryonia-like seeds, dates to the Paleocene.{{cite book |last=Kubitzki |first=Klaus |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_hHvYeQYTTEC&pg=PA120 |title=Flowering Plants. Eudicots: Sapindales, Cucurbitales, Myrtaceae |date=2011 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-642-14397-7 |location=Heidelberg |pages=120–122 |quote=The fossil record of Cucurbitaceae and indeed of the order Cucurbitales is sparse.. The oldest fossils are seeds from the Uppermost Paleocene and Lower Eocene London Clay (65MA).. Bryonia-like seeds from fossil beda at Tambov, Western Siberia date to the Lower Sarmat, 15–13 MA ago. Subfossil records of Cucurbita pepo have been dated to 8,000–7,000 B.C. at Guila Naquitz ..., those of C. moschata in the northern Peruvian Andes to up to 9,200 B.P.}} Recent genomic studies support the idea that the Cucurbita genus underwent a whole-genome duplication event, increasing the number of chromosomes and accelerating the rate at which their genomes evolve relative to other cucurbits.{{cite journal |last1=Sun |first1=Honghe |last2=Wu |first2=Shan |last3=Zhang |first3=Guoyu |last4=Jiao |first4=Chen |last5=Guo |first5=Shaogui |last6=Ren |first6=Yi |last7=Zhang |first7=Jie |last8=Zhang |first8=Haiying |last9=Gong |first9=Guoyi |last10=Jia |first10=Zhangcai |last11=Zhang |first11=Fan |last12=Tian |first12=Jiaxing |last13=Lucas |first13=William J. |last14=Doyle |first14=Jeff J. |last15=Li |first15=Haizhen |last16=Fei |first16=Zhangjun |last17=Xu |first17=Yong |display-authors=5 |date=October 2017 |title=Karyotype Stability and Unbiased Fractionation in the Paleo-Allotetraploid Cucurbita Genomes |journal=Molecular Plant |volume=10 |issue=10 |pages=1293–1306 |doi=10.1016/j.molp.2017.09.003 |pmid=28917590 |doi-access=free}}{{cite journal |last1=Montero-Pau |first1=Javier |last2=Blanca |first2=José |last3=Bombarely |first3=Aureliano |last4=Ziarsolo |first4=Peio |last5=Esteras |first5=Cristina |last6=Martí-Gómez |first6=Carlos |last7=Ferriol |first7=María |last8=Gómez |first8=Pedro |last9=Jamilena |first9=Manuel |last10=Mueller |first10=Lukas |last11=Picó |first11=Belén |last12=Cañizares |first12=Joaquín |date=June 2018 |title=De novo assembly of the zucchini genome reveals a whole-genome duplication associated with the origin of the Cucurbita genus |journal=Plant Biotechnology Journal |volume=16 |issue=6 |pages=1161–1171 |doi=10.1111/pbi.12860 |pmc=5978595 |pmid=29112324}}{{cite journal |last1=Barrera-Redondo |first1=Josué |last2=Ibarra-Laclette |first2=Enrique |last3=Vázquez-Lobo |first3=Alejandra |last4=Gutiérrez-Guerrero |first4=Yocelyn T. |last5=Sánchez de la Vega |first5=Guillermo |last6=Piñero |first6=Daniel |last7=Montes-Hernández |first7=Salvador |last8=Lira-Saade |first8=Rafael |last9=Eguiarte |first9=Luis E. |date=April 2019 |title=The Genome of Cucurbita argyrosperma (Silver-Seed Gourd) Reveals Faster Rates of Protein-Coding Gene and Long Noncoding RNA Turnover and Neofunctionalization within Cucurbita |journal=Molecular Plant |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=506–520 |doi=10.1016/j.molp.2018.12.023 |pmid=30630074 |s2cid=58638439 |doi-access=free}} No species within the genus is entirely genetically isolated. C. moschata can intercross with all Cucurbita species, though the hybrid offspring may not be fertile unless they become polyploid.

Evidence of domestication of Cucurbita goes back over 8,000 years from the southernmost parts of Canada down to Argentina and Chile. Centers of domestication stretch from the Mississippi River watershed and Texas down through Mexico and Central America to northern and western South America. Of the 27 species that Nee delineates, five are domesticated. Four of these, C. argyrosperma, C. ficifolia, C. moschata, and C. pepo, originated and were domesticated in Mesoamerica; the fifth, C. maxima, originated and was domesticated in South America.{{cite web |last1=Saade |first1=R. Lira |last2=Hernández |first2=S. Montes |title=Cucurbits |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/1492/cucurbits.html |publisher=Purdue Horticulture |access-date=September 2, 2013 |archive-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009220541/https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/1492/cucurbits.html |url-status=live }}

Within C. pepo, the pumpkins, the scallops, and possibly the crooknecks are ancient and were domesticated at different times and places. The domesticated forms of C. pepo have larger fruits than non-domesticated forms and seeds that are larger but fewer in number. In a 1989 study on the origins and development of C. pepo, botanist Harry Paris suggested that the original wild specimen had a small round fruit and that the modern pumpkin is its direct descendant. He suggested that the crookneck, ornamental gourd, and scallop are early variants and that the acorn squash is a cross between the scallop and the pumpkin.

File:Cucurbita moschata Butternut 2012 G2.jpg

C. argyrosperma is not as widespread as the other species. The wild form C. a. subsp. sororia is found from Mexico to Nicaragua, and cultivated forms are used in a somewhat wider area stretching from Panama to the southeastern United States. It was probably bred for its seeds, which are large and high in oil and protein, but its flesh is of poorer quality than that of C. moschata and C. pepo. It is grown in a wide altitudinal range: from sea level to as high as {{convert|1800|m|ft|sp=us}} in dry areas, usually with the use of irrigation, or in areas with a defined rainy season, where seeds are sown in May and June.

C. ficifolia and C. moschata were originally thought to be Asiatic in origin, but this has been disproven. The origin of C. ficifolia is Latin America, most likely southern Mexico, Central America, or the Andes. It grows at elevations ranging from {{convert|1000|to|3000|m|ft|sp=us}} in areas with heavy rainfall. It does not hybridize well with other cultivated species as it has significantly different enzymes and chromosomes.

C. maxima originated in South America over 4,000 years ago, probably in Argentina and Uruguay. The plants are sensitive to frost, and they prefer both bright sunlight and soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.{{cite web |title=Cucurbita maxima Origin/ Habitat |url=http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/herman_jaci/habitat_geography.htm |publisher=University of Wisconsin |year=2007 |access-date=September 2, 2013 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060145/http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2009/herman_jaci/habitat_geography.htm |url-status=live }} C. maxima did not start to spread into North America until after the arrival of Columbus. Varieties were in use by native peoples of the United States by the 16th century. Types of C. maxima include triloba,{{cite web|title=Holotype of Cucurbita maxima Duchesne var. triloba Millán [family CUCURBITACEAE]|url=http://plants.jstor.org/specimen/si001320|access-date=October 3, 2013}}{{subscription required}} zapallito,{{cite journal |last1=López-Anido |first1=F. |last2=Cravero |first2=V. |last3=Asprelli |first3=P. |last4=Cointry |first4=E. |last5=Firpo |first5=I. |last6=García |first6=S. M. |title=Inheritance of Immature Fruit Color in Cucurbita maxima var. zapallito (Carrière) Millán |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc26/cgc26-15.pdf |journal=Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report |volume=26 |pages=48–50 |year=2003 |access-date=2013-10-03 |archive-date=2013-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004220332/http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc26/cgc26-15.pdf |url-status=live }} zipinka,{{cite web |title=Holotype of Cucurbita maxima Duchesne var. zipinka Millán [family CUCURBITACEAE]|url=http://plants.jstor.org/specimen/si001321 |access-date=October 3, 2013}}{{subscription required}} Banana, Delicious, Hubbard, Marrow (C. maxima Marrow), Show, and Turban.{{cite book |last1=Robinson |first1=Richard Warren |last2=Decker-Walters |first2=D. S. |title=Cucurbits |year=1997 |publisher=CAB International |location=Oxfordshire, UK |pages=71–83 |isbn=978-0-85199-133-7}}

File:Cucurbita moschata 'Tromboncino'.jpg are eaten either when very young, or as mature winter squash.]]

C. moschata is native to Latin America, but the precise location of origin is uncertain.{{cite journal |last=Wessel-Beaver |first=Linda |year=2000 |title=Evidence for the Center of Diversity of Cucurbita moschata in Colombia |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc23/cgc23-16.html |journal=Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report |volume=23 |pages=54–55 |access-date=2013-09-04 |archive-date=2013-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004220329/http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc23/cgc23-16.html |url-status=live }} It has been present in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Peru for 4,000–6,000 years and has spread to Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. This species is closely related to C. argyrosperma. A variety known as the Seminole Pumpkin has been cultivated in Florida since before the arrival of Columbus. Its leaves are {{convert|20|to|30|cm|in|sp=us|0}} wide. It generally grows at low elevations in hot climates with heavy rainfall, but some varieties have been found above {{convert|2200|m|ft|sp=us}}. Groups of C. moschata include Cheese, Crookneck (C. moschata), and Bell.

C. pepo is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, domesticated species with the oldest known locations being Oaxaca, Mexico, 8,000–10,000 years ago, and Ocampo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, about 7,000 years ago. It is known to have appeared in Missouri, United States, at least 4,000 years ago.{{cite web |last=Wilson |first=Hugh D. |publisher=Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group |url=http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/flcp/flcp3.htm |work=Free-living Cucurbita pepo in the United States Viral Resistance, Gene Flow, and Risk Assessment |title=What is Cucurbita texana? |access-date=September 8, 2013 |archive-date=September 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927212331/http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/flcp/flcp3.htm |url-status=dead }} Debates about the origin of C. pepo have been on-going since at least 1857.{{cite journal | last1 = Kirkpatrick | first1 = Kurt J. | last2 = Wilson | first2 = Hugh D. | year = 1988 | title = Interspecific Gene Flow in Cucurbita: C. texana vs. C. pepo | journal = American Journal of Botany | volume = 75 | issue = 4 | pages = 519–527 | publisher = Botanical Society of America | doi = 10.2307/2444217| jstor = 2444217 }} There have traditionally been two opposing theories about its origin: 1) that it is a direct descendant of C. texana and 2) that C. texana is merely feral C. pepo. A more recent theory by botanist Thomas Andres in 1987 is that descendants of C. fraterna hybridized with C. texana,{{cite journal |last=Andres |first=Thomas C. |year=1987 |title=Cucurbita fraterna, the Closest Wild Relative and Progenitor of C. pepo |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc10/cgc10-36.html |url-status=live |journal=Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report |volume=10 |pages=69–71 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053841/http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc10/cgc10-36.html |archive-date=2013-09-21 |access-date=2013-09-06}} resulting in two distinct domestication events in two different areas: one in Mexico and one in the eastern United States, with C. fraterna and C. texana, respectively, as the ancestral species.{{cite book|last1=Soltis|first1=Douglas E. |last2=Soltis |first2=Pamela S.|author-link2 = Pamela S. Soltis|title=Isozymes in Plant Biology |page=176|location=London |publisher=Dioscorodes Press|year=1990|isbn=978-0-412-36500-3}} C. pepo may have appeared in the Old World before moving from Mexico into South America. It is found from sea level to slightly above {{convert|2000|m|ft|sp=us}}. Leaves have 3–5 lobes and are {{convert|20–35|cm|in|sp=us|0}} wide. All the subspecies, varieties, and cultivars are interfertile. In 1986 Paris proposed a revised taxonomy of the edible cultivated C. pepo based primarily on the shape of the fruit, with eight groups. All but a few C. pepo cultivars can be included in these groups.{{cite journal |last=Paris |first=Harry S. |journal=Phytologia |title=A Proposed Subspecific Classification for Cucurbita pepo |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/47050#page/145/mode/1up |year=1986 |volume=61 |issue=3 |pages=133–138 |access-date=2018-01-13 |archive-date=2017-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728150825/http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/47050#page/145/mode/1up |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a686/cucurbita-pepo.aspx |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |title=Cucurbita pepo |access-date=September 2, 2013 |archive-date=September 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911064453/http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a686/cucurbita-pepo.aspx |url-status=live }}{{cite book |last=Heistinger |first=Andrea |title=The Manual of Seed Saving: Harvesting, Storing, and Sowing Techniques for Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits |publisher=Timber Press |location=Portland, OR|year=2013 |page=278 |isbn=978-1-60469-382-9}} There is one non-edible cultivated variety: C. pepo var. ovifera.{{cite journal | last1 = Decker | first1 = Deena S. | last2 = Wilson | first2 = Hugh D. | year = 1987 | title = Allozyme Variation in the Cucurbita pepo Complex: C. pepo var. ovifera vs. C. texana | journal = Systematic Botany | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | pages = 263–273 | publisher = American Society of Plant Taxonomists | jstor = 2419320 | doi = 10.2307/2419320}}

Cucurbita species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae), Hypercompe indecisa, and the turnip moth (Agrotis segetum).{{cite web |year=2009 |title=Pumpkin |url=https://www.drugs.com/npp/pumpkin.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915155740/http://www.drugs.com/npp/pumpkin.html |archive-date=September 15, 2013 |access-date=September 1, 2013 |publisher=Drugs.com}} Cucurbita can be susceptible to the pest Bemisia argentifolii (silverleaf whitefly){{cite journal |last1=McAuslane |first1=Heather J. |last2=Webb |first2=Susan E. |last3=Elmstrom |first3=Gary W. |date=June 1996 |title=Resistance in Germplasm of Cucurbita pepo to Silverleaf, a Disorder Associated with Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) |url=http://journals.fcla.edu/flaent/article/download/59206/56885 |url-status=live |journal=The Florida Entomologist |location=Lutz, FL |publisher=Florida Entomological Society |volume=79 |issue=2 |pages=206–221 |doi=10.2307/3495818 |jstor=3495818 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921220047/http://journals.fcla.edu/flaent/article/download/59206/56885 |archive-date=2017-09-21 |access-date=2018-04-20 |doi-access=free|url-access=subscription }} as well as aphids (Aphididae), cucumber beetles (Acalymma vittatum and Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi), squash bug (Anasa tristis), the squash vine borer (Melittia cucurbitae), and the two-spotted spidermite (Tetranychus urticae).{{cite web |title=Vegetable Pumpkin |url=http://urbanext.illinois.edu/hortanswers/plantdetail.cfm?PlantID=629&PlantTypeID=9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130820013036/http://urbanext.illinois.edu/hortanswers/plantdetail.cfm?PlantID=629&PlantTypeID=9 |archive-date=August 20, 2013 |access-date=October 20, 2013 |publisher=University of Illinois Extension}} The squash bug causes major damage to plants because of its very toxic saliva.{{cite web |title=Common Name: Squash Bug |url=http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/leaf/squash_bug.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193419/http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/leaf/squash_bug.htm |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=October 26, 2013 |publisher=University of Florida}}

The red pumpkin beetle (Aulacophora foveicollis) is a serious pest of cucurbits, especially the pumpkin, which it can defoliate.{{cite web |title=Pumpkin beetle |url=https://www.indiaagronet.com/indiaagronet/pest_management/CONTENTS/pest%20cucurbits.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616184556/https://www.indiaagronet.com/indiaagronet/pest_management/CONTENTS/pest%20cucurbits.htm |archive-date=16 June 2016 |access-date=20 May 2016 |work=Pests of Cucurbits |publisher=IndiaAgroNet.com}}

Cucurbits are susceptible to diseases such as bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila), anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.), fusarium wilt (Fusarium spp.), phytophthora blight (Phytophthora spp. water molds), and powdery mildew (Erysiphe spp.). Defensive responses to viral, fungal, and bacterial leaf pathogens do not involve cucurbitacin.{{cite journal |last1=Tallamy |first1=Douglas W. |last2=Krischik |first2=Vera A. |year=1989 |title=Variation and Function of Cucurbitacins in Cucurbita: An Examination of Current Hypotheses |journal=The American Naturalist |publisher=The University of Chicago Press |volume=133 |issue=6 |pages=766–786 |doi=10.1086/284952 |jstor=2462036 |s2cid=84696664}}

Species in the genus Cucurbita are susceptible to some types of mosaic virus including: cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), papaya ringspot virus-cucurbit strain (PRSV), squash mosaic virus (SqMV), tobacco ringspot virus (TRSV),{{cite web |title=Mosaic Diseases of Cucurbits |url=http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/926.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185018/http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/vista/pdf_pubs/926.pdf |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=October 26, 2013 |publisher=University of Illinois}} watermelon mosaic virus (WMV), and zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV).{{cite web |title=Virus Diseases of Cucurbit Crops |url=http://archive.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/hort/veg/pw/fn2006_viruscucurbits_bcoutts.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141112044744/http://archive.agric.wa.gov.au/objtwr/imported_assets/content/hort/veg/pw/fn2006_viruscucurbits_bcoutts.pdf |archive-date=2014-11-12 |access-date=December 31, 2014 |publisher=Department of Agriculture, Government of Western Australia}}{{cite journal |last1=Roossinck |first1=Marilyn J. |last2=Palukaitis |first2=Peter |year=1990 |title=Rapid Induction and Severity of Symptoms in Zucchini Squash (Cucurbita pepo) Map to RNA 1 of Cucumber Mosaic Virus |url=http://www.apsnet.org/publications/mpmi/backissues/Documents/1990Articles/Microbe03_188.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=188–192 |doi=10.1094/mpmi-3-188 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029191813/http://www.apsnet.org/publications/mpmi/backissues/Documents/1990Articles/Microbe03_188.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-29 |access-date=2013-10-26}}{{cite journal |last1=Havelda |first1=Zoltan |last2=Maule |first2=Andrew J. |date=October 2000 |title=Complex Spatial Responses to Cucumber Mosaic Virus Infection in Susceptible Cucurbita pepo Cotyledons |journal=Plant Cell |volume=12 |issue=10 |pages=1975–1986 |doi=10.1105/tpc.12.10.1975 |pmc=149134 |pmid=11041891|bibcode=2000PlanC..12.1975H }}{{cite web |date=October 1984 |title=Virus Diseases of Cucurbits |url=http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Viruses_Cucurbits.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131117083315/http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Viruses_Cucurbits.htm |archive-date=November 17, 2013 |access-date=October 26, 2013 |publisher=Cornell University}} PRSV is the only one of these viruses that does not affect all cucurbits.{{cite journal |last1=Provvidenti |first1=R. |last2=Gonsalves |first2=D. |date=May 1984 |title=Occurrence of Zucchini Yellow Mosaic Virus in Cucurbits from Connecticut, New York, Florida, and California |url=http://www.apsnet.org/publications/PlantDisease/BackIssues/Documents/1984Articles/PlantDisease68n05_443.PDF |url-status=live |journal=Plant Disease |volume=68 |issue=5 |pages=443–446 |doi=10.1094/pd-69-443 |issn=0191-2917 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185841/http://www.apsnet.org/publications/PlantDisease/BackIssues/Documents/1984Articles/PlantDisease68n05_443.PDF |archive-date=2013-10-29 |access-date=2013-10-26}} SqMV and CMV are the most common viruses among cucurbits.{{cite web |title=Squash |url=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/squash.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200818/http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/vegetables/squash.html |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=October 26, 2013 |publisher=Texas A&M University}}{{cite journal |last1=Salama |first1=El-Sayed A. |last2=Sill |first2=W. H. Jr. |year=1968 |title=Resistance to Kansas Squash Mosaic Virus Strains Among Cucurbita Species |journal=Transactions of the Kansas Academy of Science |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=62–68 |doi=10.2307/3627399 |jstor=3627399}} Symptoms of these viruses show a high degree of similarity, which often results in laboratory investigation being needed to differentiate which one is affecting plants.

File:Bnf Anne f161.jpg subsp. texana, from the Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany, 1503–1508, f. 161, earliest depiction of cucurbits in Europe]]

The genus was part of the culture of almost every native peoples group from southern South America to southern Canada. Modern-day cultivated Cucurbita are not found in the wild. Genetic studies of the mitochondrial gene nad1 show there were at least six independent domestication events of Cucurbita separating domestic species from their wild ancestors.{{cite journal | last1 = Sanjur | first1 = Oris I. | last2 = Piperno | first2 = Dolores R. | last3 = Andres | first3 = Thomas C. | last4 = Wessel-Beaver | first4 = Linda | year = 2002 | title = Phylogenetic Relationships among Domesticated and Wild Species of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae) Inferred from a Mitochondrial Gene: Implications for Crop Plant Evolution and Areas of Origin | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 99 | issue = 1 | pages = 535–540 | publisher = National Academy of Sciences | location = Washington, DC | jstor = 3057572 | doi=10.1073/pnas.012577299 | bibcode=2002PNAS...99..535S | pmid=11782554 | pmc=117595| doi-access = free }} Species native to North America include C. digitata (calabazilla),{{cite web |title=Cucurbita digitata A. Gray |url=http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CUDI |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=September 1, 2013 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061119/http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CUDI |url-status=live }} and C. foetidissima (buffalo gourd),{{cite web |title=Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché |url=http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CUFI2 |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=September 1, 2013 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054527/http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CUFI2 |url-status=live }} C. palmata (coyote melon), and C. pepo. Some species, such as C. digitata and C. ficifolia, are referred to as gourds. Gourds, also called bottle-gourds, which are used as utensils or vessels, belong to the genus Lagenaria and are native to Africa. Lagenaria are in the same family and subfamily as Cucurbita but in a different tribe.{{cite web |last=Roberts |first=Katherine M. |title=Cucurbita spp. and Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) – Standley Squash, Gourd, and Pumpkin; Bottle Gourd: Cucurbitaceae |url=http://pages.wustl.edu/peblabguide/articles/1120 |publisher=Washington University in St. Louis |date=March 27, 2012 |access-date=December 31, 2014 |archive-date=February 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215151044/http://pages.wustl.edu/peblabguide/articles/1120 |url-status=live }}

The earliest known evidence of the domestication of Cucurbita dates back at least 8,000 years ago, predating the domestication of other crops such as maize and beans in the region by about 4,000 years.{{cite book|last1=Gibbon|first1=Guy E.|last2=Ames|first2=Kenneth M.|title=Archaeology of Prehistoric Native America: An Encyclopedia|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|year=1998|page=[https://archive.org/details/archaeologyofpre0000unse/page/238 238]|isbn=978-0-8153-0725-9|url=https://archive.org/details/archaeologyofpre0000unse/page/238}}{{cite journal |last=Roush |first=Wade |url=https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.276.5314.894 |title=Archaeobiology: Squash Seeds Yield New View of Early American Farming |journal=Science |date=9 May 1997 |volume=276 |issue=5314 |pages=894–895 |publisher=American Association For the Advancement of Science |doi=10.1126/science.276.5314.894|s2cid=158673509 |url-access=subscription }} This evidence was found in the Guilá Naquitz cave in Oaxaca, Mexico, during a series of excavations in the 1960s and 1970s, possibly beginning in 1959.{{cite journal | last1 = Schoenwetter | first1 = James | date=April 1974 | title = Pollen Records of Guila Naquitz Cave | journal = American Antiquity | volume = 39 | issue = 2 | pages = 292–303 | publisher = Society for American Archaeology | jstor = 279589 | doi = 10.2307/279589| s2cid = 163744556 }}{{cite journal |last=Benz |first=Bruce F. |title= Archaeological Evidence of Teosinte Domestication From Guilá Naquitz, Oaxaca |year=2005 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=98 |issue=4 |pages=2104–2106 |doi=10.1073/pnas.98.4.2104 |pmid=11172083 |pmc=29389|bibcode=2001PNAS...98.2104B |doi-access=free }} Solid evidence of domesticated C. pepo was found in the Guilá Naquitz cave in the form of increasing rind thickness and larger peduncles in the newer stratification layers of the cave. By c. 8,000 years BP the C. pepo peduncles found are consistently more than {{convert|10|mm|in|frac=16|sp=us}} thick. Wild Cucurbita peduncles are always below this 10 mm barrier. Changes in fruit shape and color indicate that intentional breeding of C. pepo had occurred by no later than 8,000 years BP.{{cite web|url=http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Cucurbita/ |title=Cucurbitaceae – Fruits for Peons, Pilgrims, and Pharaohs |publisher=University of California at Los Angeles |access-date=September 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016003715/http://www.botgard.ucla.edu/html/botanytextbooks/economicbotany/Cucurbita/ |archive-date=October 16, 2013 }}{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Bruce D. |date=22 December 1989 |title=Origins of Agriculture in Eastern North America |url=https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.246.4937.1566 |journal=Science |location=Washington, DC |pages=1566–1571 |doi=10.1126/science.246.4937.1566 |pmid=17834420 |volume=246 |issue=4937 |bibcode=1989Sci...246.1566S |s2cid=42832687 |access-date=30 June 2022 |archive-date=14 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211114192812/https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.246.4937.1566 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}{{cite journal |last=Smith |first=Bruce D. |date=May 1997 |title=The Initial Domestication of Cucurbita pepo in the Americas 10,000 Years Ago |url=https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.276.5314.932 |journal=Science |location=Washington, DC |doi=10.1126/science.276.5314.932 |volume=276 |issue=5314 |pages=932–934 |access-date=2022-06-30 |archive-date=2023-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413083242/https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.276.5314.932 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} During the same time frame, average rind thickness increased from {{convert|0.84|-|1.15|mm|in|frac=128|sp=us}}.{{cite book |last1=Feinman |first1=Gary M. |last2=Manzanilla |first2=Linda |title=Cultural Evolution: Contemporary Viewpoints |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d4DEPVVoqE8C&pg=PA31 |year=2000 |publisher=Kluwer Academic |location=New York |page=31 |isbn=978-0-306-46240-5}} Recent genomic studies suggest that Cucurbita argyrosperma was domesticated in Mexico, in the region that is currently known as the state of Jalisco.{{cite journal |last1=Barrera-Redondo |first1=Josué |last2=Sánchez-de la Vega |first2=Guillermo |last3=Aguirre-Liguori |first3=Jonás A. |last4=Castellanos-Morales |first4=Gabriela |last5=Gutiérrez-Guerrero |first5=Yocelyn T. |last6=Aguirre-Dugua |first6=Xitlali |last7=Aguirre-Planter |first7=Erika |last8=Tenaillon |first8=Maud I. |last9=Lira-Saade |first9=Rafael |last10=Eguiarte |first10=Luis E. |title=The domestication of Cucurbita argyrosperma as revealed by the genome of its wild relative |journal=Horticulture Research |date=December 2021 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=109 |pmid=33931618|doi=10.1038/s41438-021-00544-9 |pmc=8087764 |bibcode=2021HorR....8..109B |issn=2662-6810 }}

Squash was domesticated first, followed by maize and then beans, becoming part of the Three Sisters agricultural system of companion planting.{{cite journal |last=Landon |first=Amanda J. |title=The "How" of the Three Sisters: The Origins of Agriculture in Mesoamerica and the Human Niche |journal=Nebraska Anthropologist |url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=nebanthro |year=2008 |publisher=University of Nebraska – Lincoln |location=Lincoln, NE |pages=110–124 |access-date=2013-09-18 |archive-date=2013-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054240/http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=nebanthro |url-status=live }}{{cite journal |last=Bushnell |first=G. H. S. |title=The Beginning and Growth of Agriculture in Mexico |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London |year=1976 |location=London |volume=275 |issue=936 |pages=117–120 |doi=10.1098/rstb.1976.0074|bibcode=1976RSPTB.275..117B |doi-access=free }} The English word "squash" derives from askutasquash (a green thing eaten raw), a word from the Narragansett language, which was documented by Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island, in his 1643 publication A Key Into the Language of America.{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/squash.html |title=How Did the Squash Get its Name? |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=October 10, 2013 |archive-date=October 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016123203/http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/squash.html |url-status=live }} Similar words for squash exist in related languages of the Algonquian family.{{cite journal | last1 = Paris | first1 = Harry S. | year = 1989 | title = Historical Records, Origins, and Development of the Edible Cultivar Groups of Cucurbita pepo (Cucurbitaceae) | journal = Economic Botany | volume = 43 | issue = 4 | pages = 423–443 | publisher = New York Botanical Garden Press | jstor = 4255187 | doi=10.1007/bf02935916| bibcode = 1989EcBot..43..423P | s2cid = 29052282 }}{{cite book |first=Charles L. |last=Cutler |title=O Brave New Words: Native American Loanwords in Current English |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman |year=2000 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/obravenewwords00char/page/39 39–42] |isbn=978-0-8061-3246-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/obravenewwords00char/page/39 }}

In 2021, world production of squashes (including gourds and pumpkins) was 23.4 million tonnes, led by China with 32% of the total (table). Ukraine, Russia, and the United States were secondary producers.

Cucurbitin is an amino acid and a carboxypyrrolidine that is found in raw Cucurbita seeds.{{cite book |last=Peirce |first=Andrea |url=https://archive.org/details/americanpharmace00peir/page/212 |title=The American Pharmaceutical Association Practical Guide to Natural Medicines |publisher=Stonesong Press, William Morrow & Co. |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-688-16151-4 |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanpharmace00peir/page/212 212–214]}}{{cite journal |last1=Mihranian |first1=Valentine H. |last2=Abou-Chaar |first2=Charles I. |year=1968 |title=Extraction, Detection, and Estimation of Cucurbitin in Cucurbita Seeds |journal=Lloydia |publisher=American Society of Pharmacognosy |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=23–29}} It retards the development of parasitic flukes when administered to infected host mice, although the effect is seen only if administration begins immediately after infection.{{cite report |url=http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Herbal_-_HMPC_assessment_report/2011/10/WC500116579.pdf |title=Assessment report on Cucurbita pepo L. |date=13 September 2011 |publisher=Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), European Medicines Agency |pages=25–26 |access-date=21 November 2015 |archive-date=22 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122030434/http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Herbal_-_HMPC_assessment_report/2011/10/WC500116579.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Cucurmosin is a ribosome inactivating protein found in the flesh and seed of Cucurbita,{{cite book |last1=Preedy |first1=Victor R. |title=Nuts and Seeds in Health and Disease Prevention |last2=Watson |first2=Ronald Ross |last3=Patel |first3=Vinwood B. |publisher=Academic Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-12-375688-6 |location=London |page=936}}{{cite journal |last1=Barbieri |first1=L. |last2=Polito |first2=L. |last3=Bolognesi |first3=A. |last4=Ciani |first4=M. |last5=Pelosi |first5=E. |last6=Farini |first6=V. |last7=Jha |first7=A. K. |last8=Sharma |first8=N. |last9=Vivanco |first9=J. M. |last10=Chambery |first10=A. |last11=Parente |first11=A. |last12=Stirpe |first12=F. |date=May 2006 |title=Ribosome-inactivating Proteins in Edible Plants and Purification and Characterization of a New Ribosome-inactivating Protein From Cucurbita moschata |journal=Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects |volume=1760 |issue=5 |pages=783–792 |doi=10.1016/j.bbagen.2006.01.002 |pmid=16564632}} notably Cucurbita moschata.

Cucurbitacin is a plant steroid present in wild Cucurbita and in each member of the family Cucurbitaceae. Poisonous to mammals, it is found in quantities sufficient to discourage herbivores. It makes wild Cucurbita and most ornamental gourds, with the exception of an occasional C. fraterna and C. sororia, bitter to taste.{{cite book |title=Western Corn Rootworm: Ecology and Management |publisher=CAB International |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-85199-817-6 |editor-last=Vidal |editor-first=S. |location=Wallingford, UK |pages=67–71 |chapter=4 |doi=10.1079/9780851998176.0000 |chapter-url=http://web.missouri.edu/~hibbardb/CV_files/Tallamy%20et%20al%20chap04%20proof.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129042743/http://web.missouri.edu/~hibbardb/CV_files/Tallamy%20et%20al%20chap04%20proof.pdf |archive-date=2014-11-29 |url-status=dead}} Ingesting too much cucurbitacin can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea and even collapse.{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Jian Chao |last2=Chiu |first2=Ming Hua |last3=Nie |first3=Rui Lin |last4=Cordell |first4=Geoffrey A. |last5=Qui |first5=Samuel X. |year=2005 |title=Cucurbitacins and Cucurbitane Glycosides: Structures and Biological Activities |journal=Natural Product Reports |volume=22 |issue=5 |pages=386–399 |doi=10.1039/B418841C |pmid=16010347}} This bitterness is especially prevalent in wild Cucurbita; in parts of Mexico, the flesh of the fruits is rubbed on a woman's breast to wean children.{{cite web |last=Merrick |first=Laura C. |title=Natural Hybridization of Wild Cucurbita sororia Group and Domesticated C. mixta in Southern Sonora, Mexico |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc07/cgc7-32.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060906112801/http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc07/cgc7-32.html |archive-date=September 6, 2006 |access-date=November 24, 2014 |publisher=North Carolina State University}} While the process of domestication has largely removed the bitterness from cultivated varieties, there are occasional reports of cucurbitacin causing illness in humans. Cucurbitacin is also used as a lure in insect traps.

{{nutritional value

| name = Summer squash, all varieties, raw

| water = 95 g

| kJ = 69

| protein = 1.2 g

| fat = 0.2 g

| carbs = 3.4 g

| fiber = 1.1 g

| sugars = 2.2 g

| iron_mg = 0.35

| magnesium_mg = 17

| phosphorus_mg = 38

| potassium_mg = 262

| zinc_mg = 0.29

| manganese_mg = 0.175

| vitC_mg = 17

| thiamin_mg = 0.048

| riboflavin_mg = 0.142

| niacin_mg = 0.487

| pantothenic_mg = 0.155

| vitB6_mg = 0.218

| folate_ug = 29

| vitA_ug = 10

| betacarotene_ug = 120

| lutein_ug = 2125

| vitK_ug = 3

| source_usda = 1

| note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170487/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry], for comparison, see [https://web.archive.org/web/20140403095847/http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3188?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=&sort=&qlookup=pumpkin values for raw pumpkin]

}}

As an example of Cucurbita, raw summer squash is 94% water, 3% carbohydrates, and 1% protein, with negligible fat content (table). In a 100-gram reference serving, raw squash supplies {{convert|69|kJ|kcal}} of food energy and is rich in vitamin C (20% of the Daily Value, DV), moderate in vitamin B6 and riboflavin (12–17% DV), but otherwise devoid of appreciable nutrient content (table), although the nutrient content of different Curcubita species may vary somewhat.{{cite web |title=What's So Great About Winter Squash? |url=http://www.udc.edu/docs/causes/online/Winter%20Squash%2018.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029184136/http://www.udc.edu/docs/causes/online/Winter%20Squash%2018.pdf |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2015 |publisher=University of the District of Columbia}}

Pumpkin seeds contain vitamin E, crude protein, B vitamins and several dietary minerals (see nutrition table at pepita).{{cite journal |last1=Mansour |first1=Esam H. |last2=Dworschák |first2=Erno |last3=Lugasi |first3=Andrea |last4=Barna |first4=Barna |last5=Gergely |first5=Anna |year=1993 |title=Nutritive Value of Pumpkin (Cucurbita Pepo Kakai 35) Seed Products |journal=Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=73–78 |bibcode=1993JSFA...61...73M |doi=10.1002/jsfa.2740610112}} Also present in pumpkin seeds are unsaturated and saturated oils, palmitic, oleic and linoleic fatty acids,{{cite journal |vauthors=Stevenson DG, Eller FJ, Wang L, Jane JL, Wang T, Inglett GE |year=2007 |title=Oil and tocopherol content and composition of pumpkin seed oil in 12 cultivars |url=http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=fshn_ag_pubs |url-status=live |journal=J Agric Food Chem |volume=55 |issue=10 |pages=4005–4016 |doi=10.1021/jf0706979 |pmid=17439238 |bibcode=2007JAFC...55.4005S |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810055609/http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=fshn_ag_pubs |archive-date=2016-08-10 |access-date=2016-06-04}} as well as carotenoids.{{cite journal |vauthors=Durante M, Lenucci MS, Mita G |year=2014 |title=Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of carotenoids from pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.): a review. |journal=Int J Mol Sci |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=6725–6740 |doi=10.3390/ijms15046725 |pmc=4013658 |pmid=24756094 |doi-access=free}}

The family Cucurbitaceae has many species used as human food. Cucurbita species are some of the most important of those, with various species being prepared and eaten in many ways. Although the stems and skins tend to be more bitter than the flesh,{{cite web |last=Glover |first=Tony |url=http://www.aces.edu/counties/StClair/documents/NRBitterCucumbersSquashGover10.pdf |title=Bitter Cucumbers and Squash |publisher=Alabama Cooperative Extension System |access-date=November 23, 2014}} the fruits and seeds of cultivated varieties are usually quite edible and need little or no preparation. Cross-pollination with toxic types can cause bitterness in plants of the next generation, and these should not be eaten. The flowers and young leaves and shoot tips can also be consumed.{{cite book |last=Lim |first=Tong Kwee |year=2012 |page=283 |title=Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 2, Fruits |publisher=Springer |location=New York |isbn=978-94-007-1763-3}} The seeds and fruits of most varieties can be stored for long periods of time, particularly the sweet-tasting winter varieties with their thick, inedible skins.{{Cite web|date=2020-01-20|title=Can You Freeze Butternut Squash? [4 Essential Tips]|url=https://www.freezeit.co.uk/can-you-freeze-butternut-squash/|access-date=2021-10-18|website=Freeze It|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018140139/https://www.freezeit.co.uk/can-you-freeze-butternut-squash/|url-status=live}} Summer squash have a thin, edible skin. The seeds of both types can be roasted, eaten raw, made into pumpkin seed oil, ground into a flour or meal,{{cite journal |last=Lazos |first=E. S. |title=Certain Functional Properties of Defatted Pumpkin Seed Flour |journal=Plant Foods for Human Nutrition |volume=42 |issue=3 |date=July 1992 |pages=257–273 |pmid=1502127 |doi=10.1007/bf02193934|s2cid=1809751 }} or otherwise prepared. Squashes are primarily grown for the fresh food market.{{cite web |last=Geisler |first=Malinda |date=May 2012 |title=Squash |url=http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/vegetables/squash/ |publisher=Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, Iowa State University |access-date=October 13, 2013 |archive-date=September 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929143757/http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/vegetables/squash/ |url-status=live }}

File:Sangkhaya fak thong.JPG

Long before European contact, Cucurbita had been a major food source for the native peoples of the Americas. The species became an important food for European settlers, including the Pilgrims, who even featured it at the first Thanksgiving. Commercially produced pumpkin commonly used in pumpkin pie is most often varieties of C. moschata; Libby's, by far the largest producer of processed pumpkin, uses a proprietary strain of the Dickinson pumpkin variety of C. moschata for its canned pumpkin.{{cite web |last=Richardson |first=R. W. |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/cgc_reports/squash95.pdf |title=Squash and Pumpkin |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System |access-date=September 2, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924160527/http://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/cgc_reports/squash95.pdf |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }} Other foods that can be made using members of this genus include biscuits, bread, cheesecake, desserts, donuts, granola, ice cream, lasagna dishes, pancakes, pudding, pumpkin butter,{{cite web |url=http://www.bhg.com/recipe/vegetables/spiced-pumpkin-butter/ |title=Spiced Pumpkin Butter |publisher=Better Homes and Gardens |access-date=January 12, 2014 |archive-date=January 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113000431/http://www.bhg.com/recipe/vegetables/spiced-pumpkin-butter/ |url-status=live }} salads, soups, and stuffing.{{cite news |last=Lynch |first=Rene |url=http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-pumpkin-bread-pumpkin-recipes-20131001,0,3888485.story |title=Pumpkin Bread and 18 Other Pumpkin Recipes You Must Make Now |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=October 1, 2013 |access-date=October 8, 2013 |archive-date=October 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007053733/http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-pumpkin-bread-pumpkin-recipes-20131001,0,3888485.story |url-status=live }} Squash soup is a dish in African cuisine.{{cite book |last=Garratt |first=Nicky |title=Mango and Mint: Arabian, Indian, and North African Inspired Vegan Cuisine |publisher=PM Press |series=Tofu Hound Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-60486-323-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/Mango_Mint_9781604868890 |page=46 }} The xerophytic species are proving useful in the search for nutritious foods that grow well in arid regions.{{cite journal |last=Bemis |first=W. P. |year=1978 |title=The Versatility of the Feral Buffalo Gourd, Cucurbita foetidissima HBK |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc01/cgc1-24.html |journal=Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report |volume=1 |page=25 |access-date=2013-09-02 |archive-date=2013-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053702/http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc01/cgc1-24.html |url-status=live }} C. ficifolia is used to make soft and mildly alcoholic drinks.

In India, squashes (ghiya) are cooked with seafood such as prawns.{{cite book |last=Jaffrey |first=Madhur |author-link=Madhur Jaffrey |title=Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery |date=1982 |publisher=BBC Books |location=London |isbn=978-0-563-16491-3 |page=90}} In France, marrows (courges) are traditionally served as a gratin, sieved and cooked with butter, milk, and egg, and flavored with salt, pepper, and nutmeg,{{cite book |last=David |first=Elizabeth |author-link=Elizabeth David |title=French Country Cooking |date=1987 |orig-year=1951 |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |location=London |isbn=978-0-86318-251-8 |page=179}} and as soups. In Italy, zucchini and larger squashes are served in a variety of regional dishes, such as cocuzze alla puviredda cooked with olive oil, salt and herbs from Apulia; as torta di zucca from Liguria, or torta di zucca e riso from Emilia-Romagna, the squashes being made into a pie filling with butter, ricotta, parmesan, egg, and milk; and as a sauce for pasta in dishes like spaghetti alle zucchine from Sicily.{{cite book |last1=della Salda |first1=Anna Gosetti |title=Le Ricette Regionali Italiane|language=it |date=1993 |orig-year=1967 |publisher=Solares |isbn= |pages=107, 439, 878, 987}} In Japan, squashes such as small C. moschata pumpkins (kabocha) are eaten boiled with sesame sauce, fried as a tempura dish, or made into balls with sweet potato and Japanese mountain yam.{{cite book |last=Yoneda |first=Soei |title=The Heart of Zen Cuisine |date=1987 |orig-year=1982 |publisher=Kodansha America |location=New York |isbn=978-0-87011-848-7 |pages=131, 133, 154}}

File:Zapallomuseolarco.jpg squash ceramic. 300 C.E. Larco Museum.]]

Along with maize and beans, squash has been depicted in the art work of the native peoples of the Americas for at least 2,000 years.{{cite web |title=Moche Decorated Ceramics |publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/moch/hd_moch.htm |access-date=October 10, 2013 |archive-date=October 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030011138/http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/moch/hd_moch.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite journal | last1 = Benson | first1 = Elizabeth P. | year = 1983 | title = A Moche "Spatula" | journal = Metropolitan Museum Journal | volume = 18 | pages = 39–52 | publisher = The University of Chicago Press | jstor = 1512797 | doi=10.2307/1512797| s2cid = 191487511 }} For example, cucurbits are often represented in Moche ceramics.{{cite book | title=The Spirit of Ancient Peru: Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera | publisher=Thames and Hudson | last=Berrin Larco Museum|first=Katherine | year=1997 | location=New York|isbn=978-0-500-01802-6}}

Though native to the western hemisphere, Cucurbita began to spread to other parts of the world after Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492.{{cite journal | last=Whitaker | first=Thomas W. | title=American Origin of Cultivated Cucurbits | journal=Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden | volume=34 | issue=2 | pages=101–111 | publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden Press | location=St. Louis | year=1947 | doi=10.2307/2394459 | jstor=2394459 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/29784 | access-date=2021-08-26 | archive-date=2020-12-03 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201203204403/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/29784 | url-status=live }}{{cite journal | last=Whitaker | first=Thomas W. | title=The Origin of the Cultivated Cucurbita | journal=The American Naturalist | volume= 90 | issue=852 | publisher=University of Chicago Press | location=Chicago | pages= 171–176 | year=1956 | doi=10.1086/281923 | jstor=2458406| s2cid=85189852 }} Until recently, the earliest known depictions of this genus in Europe was of Cucurbita pepo in De Historia Stirpium Commentarii Insignes in 1542 by the German botanist Leonhart Fuchs, but in 1992, two paintings, one of C. pepo and one of C. maxima, painted between 1515 and 1518, were identified in festoons at Villa Farnesina in Rome.{{cite journal |last1=Janick |first1=Jules |last2=Paris |first2=Harry S.|title=The Cucurbit Images (1515–1518) of the Villa Farnesina, Rome |journal=Annals of Botany |date=February 2006 |volume=97 |issue=2 |pages=165–176 |doi=10.1093/aob/mcj025 |pmc=2803371 |pmid=16314340}} Also, in 2001 depictions of this genus were identified in Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany (Les Grandes Heures d'Anne de Bretagne), a French devotional book, an illuminated manuscript created between 1503 and 1508. This book contains an illustration known as Quegourdes de turquie, which was identified by cucurbit specialists as C. pepo subsp. texana in 2006.{{cite journal |last1=Paris |first1=Harry S. |last2=Daunay |first2= Marie-Christine |last3=Pitrat |first3=Michel |last4=Janick |first4=Jules |title=First Known Image of Cucurbita in Europe, 1503–1508|journal=Annals of Botany |date=July 2006 |volume=98|issue=1 |pages=41–47 |doi=10.1093/aob/mcl082 |pmc=2803533 |pmid=16687431}}

In 1952, Stanley Smith Master, using the pen name Edrich Siebert, wrote "The Marrow Song (Oh what a beauty!)" to a tune in 6/8 time. It became a popular hit in Australia in 1973,{{cite web |title=The Marrow Song (Oh What A Beauty!) by Edrich Siebert |url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=17140 |publisher=Songfacts |access-date=November 20, 2014 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129032340/http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=17140 |url-status=live }} and was revived by the Wurzels in Britain on their 2003 album Cutler of the West.{{cite web |title=The Marrow Song |url=http://www.thewurzels.com/lyricsmarrow.htm |publisher=The Wurzels |access-date=November 20, 2014 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129035112/http://www.thewurzels.com/lyricsmarrow.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=The Wurzels: Cutler of the West |url=http://www.last.fm/music/The+Wurzels/Cutler+Of+The+West |publisher=Last.fm |access-date=November 20, 2014 |archive-date=December 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202010658/http://www.last.fm/music/The+Wurzels/Cutler+Of+The+West |url-status=live }} John Greenleaf Whittier wrote a poem entitled The Pumpkin in 1850.{{cite web|url=http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/pumpkin|title=The Pumpkin|publisher=Poets.org|access-date=November 20, 2014|archive-date=November 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141121224054/http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/pumpkin|url-status=live}} "The Great Pumpkin" is a fictional holiday figure in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-7-things-you-dont-know-about-tonights-peanuts-special/2011/10/26/gIQAQPZhKM_blog.html|title='It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown': 7 Things You Don't Know About Tonight's 'Peanuts' Special|newspaper=Washington Post|last=Cavna|first=Michael|date=October 27, 2011|access-date=November 20, 2014|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129143612/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/comic-riffs/post/its-the-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-7-things-you-dont-know-about-tonights-peanuts-special/2011/10/26/gIQAQPZhKM_blog.html|url-status=live}}

C. foetidissima contains a saponin that can be obtained from the fruit and root. This can be used as a soap, shampoo, and bleach. Prolonged contact can cause skin irritation.{{cite journal |last1=Cutler|first1= H.C. |last2=Whitaker|first2=T.W. |year=1961 |title=History and Distribution of the Cultivated Cucurbits in the Americas |journal=American Antiquity |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=469–485 |jstor=278735 |doi=10.2307/278735|s2cid= 161495351 }}{{subscription required}}{{cite book |last1=Heiser|first1= Charles B.|year=2016|title=The Gourd Book |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |location=Norman |pages=9, 33–34|isbn=978-0806155678}} Pumpkin is also used in cosmetics.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsbug.info/lafayette_leader/news/local/a-new-way-to-create-pumpkin-spice-products-drugs-cosmetics/article_b669ed92-094e-50e2-b12d-ecdf8f4be1f4.html|publisher=Lafayette Leader|title=A new way to create pumpkin spice products, drugs, cosmetics|last=Adam|first=Chris|date=November 18, 2019|access-date=March 9, 2020|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219051904/http://www.newsbug.info/lafayette_leader/news/local/a-new-way-to-create-pumpkin-spice-products-drugs-cosmetics/article_b669ed92-094e-50e2-b12d-ecdf8f4be1f4.html|url-status=live}}

Cucurbita have been used in various cultures as folk remedies. Pumpkins have been used by Native Americans to treat intestinal worms and urinary ailments. This Native American remedy was adopted by American doctors in the early nineteenth century as an anthelmintic for the expulsion of worms.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tMCd1yED2EUC&pg=PA105 |title=Environmental History of the Hudson River |editor= Robert E. Henshaw|location=Albany |publisher=State University of New York Press |year= 2011 |isbn=978-1-4384-4026-2}} In southeastern Europe, seeds of C. pepo were used to treat irritable bladder and benign prostatic hyperplasia.{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/springer_10.1007-978-3-662-09666-6 |title=Rational Phytotherapy: A Reference Guide for Physicians and Pharmacists|editor= Volker Schulz |publisher=Springer|location=Munich |edition= 5th |year= 2004 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/springer_10.1007-978-3-662-09666-6/page/n319 304]–305 |isbn=978-3-540-40832-1}} In Germany, pumpkin seed is approved for use by the Commission E, which assesses folk and herbal medicine, for irritated bladder conditions and micturition problems of prostatic hyperplasia stages 1 and 2, although the monograph published in 1985 noted a lack of pharmacological studies that could substantiate empirically found clinical activity.{{cite web |url=http://buecher.heilpflanzen-welt.de/BGA-Commission-E-Monographs/0309.htm |title=Pumpkin seed (Cucurbitae peponis semen) |work= Heilpflanzen-Welt Bibliothek|access-date=March 25, 2015}} The FDA in the United States, on the other hand, banned the sale of all such non-prescription drugs for the treatment of prostate enlargement in 1990.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQBbOjN0T64C&pg=PA132 |title=Tyler's Honest Herbal: A Sensible Guide to the Use of Herbs and Related Remedies |first1= Steven|last1=Foster|first2= Varro E.|last2=Tyler |pages=131–132|publisher=Routledge|location=Binghamton, NY |edition= 4th |year= 1999|isbn=9781136745010 }}

In China, C. moschata seeds were also used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of the parasitic disease schistosomiasis{{cite journal |last1=Xiao |first1=S. H. |last2=Keiser |first2=J. |last3=Chen |first3=M. G. |last4=Tanner |first4=M. |last5=Utzinger |first5=J. |title=Research and Development of Antischistosomal Drugs in the People's Republic of China a 60-year review|journal=Advances in Parasitology |year=2010 |volume=73 |pages=231–295 |doi=10.1016/S0065-308X(10)73009-8 |pmid=20627145|isbn=9780123815149 }} and for the expulsion of tape worms.{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=KLd9v4hwtGgC&pg=PA283 |title= Practical Therapeutics of Traditional Chinese Medicine|first1= Yan|last1= Wu|first2= Warren|last2=Fischer |publisher=Paradigm Publications|location=Taos, NM|year=1997 |pages=282–283 |isbn= 978-0-912111-39-1}}

In Mexico, herbalists use C. ficifolia in the belief that it reduces blood sugar levels.{{cite journal |last1=Andrade-Cetto|first1= A. |last2=Heinrich|first2=M. |title=Mexican Plants With Hypoglycaemic Effect Used in the Treatment of Diabetes |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |volume=99 |issue=3 |pages=325–348 | date=July 2005 |pmid=15964161 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2005.04.019}}

File:Squash Pyramid Display.JPG, 2013]]

Cucurbita fruits including pumpkins and marrows are celebrated in festivals in countries such as Argentina, Austria,{{cite web|title=Kürbisfest Am Himmel|url=https://www.himmel.at/veranstaltungen-2/kuerbisfest/|language=de|access-date=September 15, 2020|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922133324/https://www.himmel.at/veranstaltungen-2/kuerbisfest/|url-status=live}} Bolivia,{{cite web|title=Sabores de Bolivia|url=http://calendariosaboresbolivia.com/tag/ferias/|publisher=Cristina Olmos|language=es|access-date=November 22, 2014|archive-date=August 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821033054/http://calendariosaboresbolivia.com/tag/ferias/|url-status=live}} Britain, Canada,{{cite web |title=Smashing Success! Crowd Watches as Pumpkin Dropped on Old Car ... All for a Gourd Cause |url=http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/10/12/smashing-success-crowd-watches-as-pumpkin-dropped-on-old-car--all-for-a-gourd-cause |agency=Calgary Sun |date=October 11, 2014 |last=McMurray |first=Jenna |access-date=November 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018144126/http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/10/12/smashing-success-crowd-watches-as-pumpkin-dropped-on-old-car--all-for-a-gourd-cause |archive-date=October 18, 2014 }} Croatia,{{cite web|title=Pumpkin Festival|url=http://www.tzig.hr/en/bucijada|website=Tourist Board of Ivanić-Grad|access-date=3 February 2016|archive-date=26 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926101810/http://www.tzig.hr/en/bucijada|url-status=live}} France,{{cite web |title=Caligny: le Village de l'Orne où le Potiron est Roi |date=4 October 2014 |url=http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/basse-normandie/2014/10/04/caligny-le-village-de-l-orne-ou-le-potiron-est-roi-564684.htmll |publisher=info.fr|language=fr |access-date=December 31, 2014}}{{cite web |title=Fête de la Citrouille et des Cucurbitacées de Saint Laurent |date=2 October 2014 |url=http://www.francebleu.fr/evenements/evenement/fete-de-la-citrouille-et-des-cucurbitacees-de-saint-laurent-1822484 |publisher=France Bleu |language=fr |access-date=November 22, 2014}} Germany, India, Italy,{{cite web |title=Festa della Zucca |url=http://www.prolocovenzone.it/Areas/GeneralInformation/FestaDellaZucca.aspx |publisher=Associazione Pro Loco di Venzone |language=it |access-date=November 22, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413065928/http://www.prolocovenzone.it/Areas/GeneralInformation/FestaDellaZucca.aspx |archive-date=April 13, 2013 }}{{cite web |title=21º Festa della Zucca Salzano |url=http://www.prolocosalzano.it/zucca/ |publisher=Pro Loco Salzano |language=it |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129081032/http://www.prolocosalzano.it/zucca/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Tra Meno un Mese Torna la Fiera Regionale della Zucca di Piozzo, ecco il Programma Ufficiale della 21esima Edizione |url=http://www.prolocopiozzo.it/new/index.php |publisher=Pro Loco di Piozzo |language=it |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129112156/http://www.prolocopiozzo.it/new/index.php |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Fiesta de la Calabaza en Gavirate (Varese) |date=8 October 2013 |url=http://desdemilan.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/fiesta-de-la-calabaza-en-gavirate-varese/ |publisher=SarayT |language=es |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-date=25 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225034235/https://desdemilan.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/fiesta-de-la-calabaza-en-gavirate-varese/ |url-status=live }} Japan,{{cite web |title=Autumn Events Calendar |url=http://www.asahikawa-tourism.com/asahikawa/asahikawa_autumn/autumn.html |publisher=Asahikawa Tourism |access-date=November 20, 2014 |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103143818/http://www.asahikawa-tourism.com/asahikawa/asahikawa_autumn/autumn.html |url-status=live }} Peru,{{cite web|title=Festival del Zapallo y de la Trucha de Curibaya se Realizará en la Plaza Quiñonez|date=10 April 2014|url=http://radiouno.pe/noticias/40045/festival-zapallo-trucha-curibaya-se-realizara-plaza-quinonez|publisher=Radio Uno|language=es|access-date=November 22, 2014|archive-date=29 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129061541/http://radiouno.pe/noticias/40045/festival-zapallo-trucha-curibaya-se-realizara-plaza-quinonez|url-status=live}} Portugal, Spain,{{cite web|title=V feria de las Calabazas Gigantes de Navarra (Valtierra)|url=http://www.lasbardenas.com/v-feria-de-las-calabazas-gigantes-de-navarra-valtierra/|publisher=Bardeneras|language=es|access-date=November 22, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129143423/http://www.lasbardenas.com/v-feria-de-las-calabazas-gigantes-de-navarra-valtierra/|archive-date=November 29, 2014}} Switzerland,{{cite web |title=Festivals and Events in Switzerland |date=15 February 2009 |url=http://www.travelsignposts.com/Switzerland/useful-facts/festivals-and-events-in-switzerland/ |publisher=Travelsignposts |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-date=2 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141202033307/http://www.travelsignposts.com/Switzerland/useful-facts/festivals-and-events-in-switzerland |url-status=live }} and the United States. Argentina holds an annual nationwide pumpkin festival Fiesta Nacional del Zapallo ({{lit|Squashes and Pumpkins National Festival}}), in Ceres, Santa Fe,{{cite web |title=Fiesta Nacional del Zapallo |url=http://lafiestanacional.com.ar/fiesta-nacional-del-zapallo/ |publisher=La Fiesta Nacional |language=es |access-date=November 22, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130804165532/http://lafiestanacional.com.ar/fiesta-nacional-del-zapallo/ |archive-date=August 4, 2013 }} on the last day of which a Reina Nacional del Zapallo ({{lit|National Queen of the Pumpkin}}) is chosen.{{cite web |title=Esperanza: Rocío Damiano fue elegida Reina Nacional del Zapallo en Ceres |url=http://entecultura.com.ar/usina2/2013/06/esperanza-rocio-damiano-fue-elegida-reina-nacional-del-zapallo-en-ceres/ |publisher=Ente Cultura |language=es |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129083945/http://entecultura.com.ar/usina2/2013/06/esperanza-rocio-damiano-fue-elegida-reina-nacional-del-zapallo-en-ceres/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Ceres: Presentaron la Fiesta Nacional del Zapallo |url=http://www.ellitoral.com/index.php/diarios/2014/06/11/regionales/REGI-02.html |publisher=El Litoral |language=es |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129025729/http://www.ellitoral.com/index.php/diarios/2014/06/11/regionales/REGI-02.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Presentacion Oficial – 43º Fiesta Nacional del Zapallo |date=23 May 2014 |url=http://ceresonline.com.ar/2014/05/presentacion-oficial-43o-fiesta-nacional-del-zapallo/#sthash.Wo7kqTt8.VxmpezuP.dpbs |publisher=Ceres Online |language=es |access-date=November 22, 2014 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129211350/http://ceresonline.com.ar/2014/05/presentacion-oficial-43o-fiesta-nacional-del-zapallo/#sthash.Wo7kqTt8.VxmpezuP.dpbs |url-status=live }} In Portugal the Festival da Abóbora de Lourinhã e Atalaia ("Squashes and Pumpkins Festival in Lourinhã and Atalaia") is held in Lourinhã city, called the Capital Nacional da Abóbora (the "National Capital of Squashes and Pumpkins").{{cite web |title=Festival da Abóbora de Lourinhã e Atalaia |url=http://festivaldaabobora.pt/bem-vindo/ |publisher=Festival da Abobora |language=pt |access-date=November 22, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111011222/http://festivaldaabobora.pt/bem-vindo/ |archive-date=November 11, 2014 }} Ludwigsburg, Germany annually hosts the world's largest pumpkin festival.{{cite news |title=The World's Largest Pumpkin Festival in Germany |url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/worlds-largest-pumpkin-festival-germany-108208.html |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=November 20, 2014 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129042320/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/worlds-largest-pumpkin-festival-germany-108208.html |url-status=live }} In Britain a giant marrow (zucchini) weighing {{convert|54.3177|kg|lboz|frac=32|sp=us}} was displayed in the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show in 2012.{{cite web |title=Giant Vegetables from UK Festival |website=CBS News |date=14 September 2012 |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/giant-vegetables-from-uk-festival/ |access-date=November 20, 2014 |agency=CBS News |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129060808/http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/giant-vegetables-from-uk-festival/ |url-status=live }} In the US, pumpkin chucking is practiced competitively, with machines such as trebuchets and air cannons designed to throw intact pumpkins as far as possible.{{cite web |title=Punkin Chunkin |url=http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/punkin-chunkin |publisher=Science Channel |access-date=November 20, 2014 |archive-date=November 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113164745/http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/punkin-chunkin |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Campbell |first1=Andy |title=Punkin Chunkin 2013: Will Someone Finally Launch A Pumpkin One Mile? |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/26/punkin-chunkin-2013_n_4340138.html |work=Huffington Post |access-date=November 20, 2014 |date=November 26, 2013 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129071900/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/26/punkin-chunkin-2013_n_4340138.html |url-status=live }} The Keene Pumpkin Fest is held annually in New Hampshire; in 2013 it held the world record for the most jack-o-lanterns lit in one place, 30,581 on October 19, 2013.{{cite news | url=http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/smiles-pumpkins-abound-as-keene-breaks-jack-o--lantern/article_aa596f94-5018-5fb5-add9-5328fc1e466a.html | author=Dandrea, Alyssa | date=October 20, 2013 | title=Smiles, Pumpkins Abound as Keene Breaks Jack-o'-lantern Record | newspaper=The Keene Sentinel | access-date=November 20, 2013 | archive-date=November 23, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131123222840/http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/smiles-pumpkins-abound-as-keene-breaks-jack-o--lantern/article_aa596f94-5018-5fb5-add9-5328fc1e466a.html | url-status=live }}

Hallowe'en is widely celebrated with jack-o-lanterns made of large orange pumpkins carved with ghoulish faces and illuminated from inside with candles.{{cite web |title=History of the Jack O' Lantern |url=http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history |website=History.com |publisher=A&E Networks |access-date=November 20, 2014 |archive-date=November 18, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141118024059/http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history |url-status=live }} The pumpkins used for jack-o-lanterns are C. pepo,{{cite web |last=Stephens |first=James M. |url=http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv116 |title=Pumpkin — Cucurbita spp. |publisher=University of Florida |access-date=November 23, 2014 |archive-date=October 31, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031125048/http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mv116 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Baggett |first=J. R. |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc02/cgc2-19.html |title=Attempts to Cross Cucurbita moschata (Duch.) Poir. 'Butternut' and C. pepo L. 'Delicata' |publisher=North Carolina State University |access-date=November 23, 2014 |archive-date=February 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140206122219/http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc02/cgc2-19.html |url-status=live }} not to be confused with the ones typically used for pumpkin pie in the United States, which are C. moschata. Kew Gardens marked Hallowe’en in 2013 with a display of pumpkins, including a towering pyramid made of many varieties of squash, in the Waterlily House during its "IncrEdibles" festival.{{cite web |title=IncrEdible! Kew Gardens to Unveil Towering Pyramid of Pumpkins in London |url=http://www.countrylife.co.uk/news/country-news/incredible-kew-gardens-to-unveil-towering-pyramid-of-pumpkins-in-london |publisher=Country Life |access-date=November 20, 2014 |date=September 12, 2013 |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129070254/http://www.countrylife.co.uk/news/country-news/incredible-kew-gardens-to-unveil-towering-pyramid-of-pumpkins-in-london |url-status=live }}

• List of gourds and squashes in the genus Cucurbita
• List of squash and pumpkin dishes

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Wiktionary-inline|Cucurbita}}
• {{Commons-inline}}
• {{Wikispecies-inline}}
• {{Cookbook-inline|Squash}}

{{Squashes and pumpkins}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q5339301}}

{{Authority control}}

__FORCETOC__

Category:Cucurbitaceae genera

Category:Squashes and pumpkins

Category:Early agriculture in Mesoamerica

Category:Crops originating from indigenous Americans

Category:Native American cuisine

Category:Cucurbiteae