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{{Short description|Species of squash}}
{{speciesbox
{{speciesbox
|image = Cucurbita_maxima_Blanco2.320.png
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*''Pepo maximus'' <small>Peterm.</small>
*''Pepo maximus'' <small>Peterm.</small>
*''Pileocalyx elegans'' <small>Gasp.</small>
*''Pileocalyx elegans'' <small>Gasp.</small>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name="list">{{cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2747160|publisher=The Plant List|title= Cucurbita maxima|accessdate=November 15, 2014}}</ref>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name="list">{{cite web|url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-2747160|publisher=The Plant List|title= Cucurbita maxima|access-date=November 15, 2014}}</ref>
|}}
|}}


'''''Cucurbita maxima''''', one of at least four species of cultivated [[Squash (plant)|squash]], is one of the most diverse domesticated species.<ref name="morph">{{cite journal|journal=Journal for the American Society for Horticultural Science|title=Morphological and Molecular Diversity of a Collection of ''Cucurbita maxima'' Landraces |last1=Ferriol|first1=María|last2=
'''''Cucurbita maxima''''', one of at least five species of cultivated [[Squash (plant)|squash]], is one of the most diverse domesticated species.<ref name="morph">{{cite journal|journal= Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science|title=Morphological and Molecular Diversity of a Collection of ''Cucurbita maxima'' Landraces |last1=Ferriol|first1=María|last2=Picó |first2=Belén|last3=Nuez|first3=Fernando |volume=129|issue=1|pages=60–69|year=2004|doi=10.21273/JASHS.129.1.0060 |doi-access=free}}</ref> This species originated in South America from the wild subspecies ''Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana'' over 4,000 years ago.<ref name="sanjur">{{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 | url = http://www.pnas.org/content/99/1/535.full.pdf | doi=10.1073/pnas.012577299| bibcode = 2002PNAS...99..535S | pmid=11782554 | pmc=117595| doi-access = free }}</ref> ''Cucurbita maxima'', known for modern varieties as Hubbard, Delicious, Marblehead, Boston Marrow, and Turks Turban, originated in northern Argentina near the Andes or in certain Andean valleys.<ref name="Boswell"/> Secondary centers of diversity include [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Myanmar]], and the southern [[Appalachians]].

Picó |first2=Belén|last3=
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Different squash types of this species were introduced into North America as early as the 16th century. By the American Revolution, the species was in cultivation by Native American tribes throughout the present-day United States. By the early 19th century, at least three varieties are known to have been commercially introduced in North America from seeds obtained from Native Americans.<ref name=nee>{{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 | doi = 10.1007/BF02860475 | jstor = 4255271| s2cid = 40493539 }}</ref>
Nuez|first3=Fernando |volume=129|issue=1|pages=60–69|year=2004}}</ref> This species originated in South America from the wild ''[[Cucurbita andreana]]'' over 4000 years ago.<ref name="sanjur">{{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 | url = http://www.pnas.org/content/99/1/535.full.pdf | format = PDF | doi=10.1073/pnas.012577299| bibcode = 2002PNAS...99..535S | pmid=11782554 | pmc=117595}}</ref> The two species hybridize quite readily but have noticeably different calcium levels.<ref name="skilnyk">{{cite journal|last1=Skilnyk|first1=Hilary R.|last2=Lott|first2=John N. A.|title=Mineral analyses of storage reserves of ''Cucurbita maxima'' and ''Cucurbita andreana'' pollen|journal=[[Canadian Journal of Botany]]|year=1992|volume=70|issue=3|pages=491–495|doi=10.1139/b92-063}}</ref>


== Types ==
== Types ==

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Many cultivars of ''Cucurbita maxima'' have been developed. As in ''[[Cucurbita pepo|C. pepo]]'', plants exist with a "bush habit" that is particularly evident in young plants, but older plants grow in the wild-type [[Vine|vining]] manner.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgcgenes/gene92squash.html |title=Gene List for ''Cucurbita'' spp. |author=Mark G. Hutton and R.W. Robinson |accessdate=16 November 2014}}</ref>
=== Subspecies andreana ===
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*'''Arikara squash''' is an [[heirloom plant|heirloom]] variety of ''C. maxima''. Fruits weigh from four to eleven pounds. The shape of the fruit can be tear-drop or round, and they are colored in a mottled orange and green pattern. It is desired both for its eating qualities and as a seasonal decoration. This variety traces its ancestry to the [[Arikara]] tribe of [[the Dakotas]], among whom its cultivation predates white settlement.
[[File:Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana compose.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana'' fruits (top), plant in the middle of the season (middle) and fruits left at the end of the season (bottom). The opaque ones are fruits left on earlier seasons from a different plant on the same place.]]
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*'''Banana squash''' has an elongated shape, with light blue, pink or orange skin and bright orange flesh.
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[[File:Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana - frutos de varios tipos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Different fruit types of ''C. maxima subsp. andreana'' from Argentina<ref name="maximadiffspecies">{{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}}</ref>]]
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*'''Boston marrow''' sweet tasting, narrow at one end and bulbous at the other.<ref name="kitchn">{{cite web|url=http://www.rareseeds.com/boston-marrow-s/|title=Boston Marrow Squash|publisher=Rare Seeds|accessdate=September 3, 2013}}</ref>
At one time considered a separate species, ''andreana'' has been placed by modern biosystematics as a subspecies of ''C. maxima''. It is native to [[Argentina]] and [[Uruguay]] and is the ancestor of the domesticated forms. ''C. andreana'' fruits are smaller and not palatable.<ref name="nee" /><ref name="sanjur" /> It hybridizes readily with individuals of other ''C. maxima'' subspecies.
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*'''Buttercup squash''' is a common variety, with a turban shape (a flattish top) and dark green skin, weighing three to five pounds, and normally heavy with dense, yellow-orange flesh. Not to be confused with [[butternut squash]].

*'''Candy Roaster squash''' is a [[landrace]] that was originally developed by the [[Cherokee]] people in the southern Appalachians. Another [[heirloom plant|heirloom]] variety, it is quite variable in size (10-250+ lbs), shape (round, cylindrical, teardrop, blocky, etc.), and color (pink, tan, green, blue, gray, or orange), yet most have fine-textured, orange flesh. This variety enjoys continued popularity, particularly in the southern Appalachians.
''C. maxima subsp. andreana'' has notably different [[calcium]] levels than individuals of other ''C. maxima'' subspecies.<ref name="skilnyk">{{cite journal|last1=Skilnyk|first1=Hilary R.|last2=Lott|first2=John N. A.|title=Mineral analyses of storage reserves of ''Cucurbita maxima'' and ''Cucurbita andreana'' pollen|journal=[[Canadian Journal of Botany]]|year=1992|volume=70|issue=3|pages=491–495|doi=10.1139/b92-063}}</ref> ''C. andreana'' has yellow flowers and bright green striped fruit. [[Extrafloral nectary|Extrafloral nectaries]] are present in ''C. maxima'' but not necessarily in ''C. andreana''.<ref name="López-Anido">{{cite journal|last1=López-Anido|first1=Fernando |last2=Vesprini|first2=José|year=2007|title=Extrafloral Nectaries in ''Cucurbita maxima'' Sub. ''andreana'' (Naudin) Filov|url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgc30/2007toc.html|journal= Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report|publisher=North Carolina State University|location=Raleigh, NC|volume=30|pages=38–42}}</ref>
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*'''Hubbard squash''' is another [[cultivar]] of this species that usually has a tear-drop shape. It is often used as a replacement for [[pumpkin]]s in cooking. According to one source,<ref name="troyer">{{cite book|last=Troyer|first= Loris C.|title=Portage Pathways|page=8|publisher= Kent State University Press|location=Kent, OH|year=1998|isbn=978-0-87338-600-5}}</ref> the name comes from Bela Hubbard, settler of [[Randolph Township, Portage County, Ohio|Randolph Township, Ohio]] in the [[Connecticut Western Reserve]]. Many other sources list an alternate history.<ref name="watson">{{cite book|last=Watson|first=Ben|title=Taylor's Guides to Heirloom Vegetables: A Complete Guide to the Best Historic and Ethnic Varieties|page=268|year=1996|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcour|location=Boston|isbn=978-0-395-70818-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/taylorsguidetohe00benj}}</ref><ref name="save">{{cite web|url=http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/gregory/index.html|title=James J. H.Gregory: A Timeline of his Life|publisher=SaveSeeds.org|accessdate=November 15, 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103171037/http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/gregory/index.html|archivedate=November 3, 2014}}</ref> These sources state the hubbard squash (at the time nameless) came to [[Marblehead, Massachusetts]] through Captain Knott Martin. A woman named Elizabeth Hubbard brought the fruit to the attention of her neighbor, a seed trader named [[James J. H. Gregory]]. Mr. Gregory subsequently introduced it to the market using Mrs. Hubbard's name as the [[eponym]]. Gregory later bred and released the blue hubbard, which has a bluish-gray skin. The other major variety, the golden hubbard squash, has a bright orange skin. Gregory advertisements for the squash date from at least 1859.<ref name="downing">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpQAAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA6-PA4&dq=Hubbard+Squash#PRA6-PA4,M1|title=The Horticulturalist, and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste|last=Downing|first=Andrew Jackson|date=May 1859|page=4|volume=14|publisher=C. M. Saxton, Barker & Co.|location=New York}}</ref> The hubbard squash, including questions regarding the name, is even the subject of a children's ditty, "Raising Hubbard Squash in Vermont".<ref name="cady">{{cite book|last=Cady|first=Daniel Leavens|title=Rhymes of Vermont Rural Life|location=Rutland, VT|publisher=The Tuttle Company|year=1919|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0tFAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA100&dq=Hubbard+Squash#PPA100,M1|page=100}}</ref>

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*'''Jarrahdale pumpkin''' is a pumpkin with gray skin. It is nearly identical to 'Queensland Blue' and 'Sweet Meat' varieties.
It was first [[species description|formally described]] by [[Charles Victor Naudin]] in 1896, in ''Revue Horticole''.<ref name="grin">{{GRIN | accessdate=September 10, 2013}}</ref>
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*'''[[Kabocha]]''' is a Japanese variety with dark green skin and bright golden-orange flesh.

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*'''Lakota squash''' is an American variety.
=== Cultivars ===
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*'''Nanticoke squash''' is a rare heirloom variety that was traditionally grown by the [[Nanticoke tribe|Nanticoke people]] of Delaware and Eastern Maryland. It is one of only a few surviving Native American winter squashes from the Eastern woodlands.
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[[File:Pinkbananasquash.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A Pink Banana squash, cut, with seeds removed, with a U.S. quarter for size comparison.]]
*'''[[Turban squash]]''', also known as "French turban", an [[Heirloom plant|heirloom]] predating 1820, and closely related to the buttercup squash.
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[[File:Buttercupsquash.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|A buttercup squash.]]
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[[File:Blue hubbard squash.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|A cut open blue hubbard squash.]]
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[[File:Goldenhubbardsquash.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|A golden Hubbard squash.]]
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*[[Arikara squash]] weighs from four to eleven pounds with a teardrop or round shape with a mottled orange and green color pattern. It is used both for its eating qualities and as decoration. This variety traces its ancestry to the [[Arikara]] tribe of [[the Dakotas]], among whom its cultivation predates white settlement.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}
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*[[Banana squash]] has an elongated shape, with light blue, pink, or orange skin and bright orange flesh.
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*[[Boston marrow]] is sweet, narrow at one end, and bulbous at the other.<ref name="kitchn">{{cite web|url=http://www.rareseeds.com/boston-marrow-s/|title=Boston Marrow Squash|publisher=Rare Seeds|access-date=September 3, 2013|archive-date=June 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622002356/http://www.rareseeds.com/boston-marrow-s/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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*[[Buttercup squash]] has a [[turban]] shape (a flattish top) and dark green skin, weighs three to five pounds, and features dense, yellow-orange flesh. Not to be confused with [[butternut squash]].
*[[Candy Roaster|Candy roaster squash]] is a [[landrace]] developed by the [[Cherokee]] people in the southern Appalachians. A [[United States Department of Agriculture]] accession in 1960 notes that Candy Roasters had been grown for more than 100 years as of that date.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/plantinventory168170agri |title=Plant Inventory No. 168 |date=1967 |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture}}</ref> It is variable in size and shape with more than 40 distinct forms according to one authority.<ref name="saving-seeds">{{Cite book |last=Best |first=Bill |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D-RlrT8gQJIC |title=Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste: Heirloom Seed Savers in Appalachia |date=2013-04-15 |publisher=Ohio University Press |isbn=978-0-8214-4462-7 |language=en}}</ref> Candy roasters consistently feature fine-textured orange flesh, while varying in size (from 10 lbs to more than 250 lbs); shape (including round, cylindrical, teardrop, and blocky); and color (pink, tan, green, blue, gray, and orange).<ref name="pursuing-potential">{{Cite journal |last1=Dwivedi |first1=Sangam |last2=Goldman |first2=Irwin |last3=Ortiz |first3=Rodomiro |date=August 2019 |title=Pursuing the Potential of Heirloom Cultivars to Improve Adaptation, Nutritional, and Culinary Features of Food Crops |journal=Agronomy |language=en |volume=9 |issue=8 |pages=441 |doi=10.3390/agronomy9080441 |issn=2073-4395|doi-access=free }}</ref> An article in the 1925 ''[[Charlotte Observer]]'' newspaper of [[Charlotte, North Carolina]] provides an account of two candy roaster varieties at a Cherokee fair that were both of similar shape and size to a [[Catawba watermelon]], one being colored like a [[citron melon]] and the other "pumpkin color".<ref name="charlotte-observer">{{Cite news |date=October 31, 1925 |title=The Candy Roaster |pages=8 |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://charlotteobserver.newspapers.com/image/616615490/?terms=the%20candy%20roaster&match=1 |access-date=February 3, 2023}}</ref>
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*[[Hubbard squash]] usually has a tear-drop shape and is often used as a replacement for [[pumpkin]]s in cooking. According to one source,<ref name="troyer">{{cite book|last=Troyer|first= Loris C.|title=Portage Pathways|page=8|publisher= Kent State University Press|location=Kent, OH|year=1998|isbn=978-0-87338-600-5}}</ref> the name comes from Bela Hubbard, settler of [[Randolph Township, Portage County, Ohio|Randolph Township, Ohio]], in the [[Connecticut Western Reserve]]. Other sources conclude that this variety came to [[Marblehead, Massachusetts]] via Captain Knott Martin where Elizabeth Hubbard brought it to the attention of her neighbor, a seed trader named [[James J. H. Gregory]]. Gregory subsequently introduced it to the market using Hubbard as the [[eponym]]. Gregory later bred and released the Blue Hubbard, a variety with bluish-gray skin. Another variety, the Golden Hubbard, has a bright orange skin. Gregory advertisements for Hubbard squash had begun by 1859.<ref name="watson">{{cite book|last=Watson|first=Ben|title=Taylor's Guides to Heirloom Vegetables: A Complete Guide to the Best Historic and Ethnic Varieties|page=[https://archive.org/details/taylorsguidetohe00benj/page/268 268]|year=1996|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcour|location=Boston|isbn=978-0-395-70818-7|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/taylorsguidetohe00benj/page/268}}</ref><ref name="save">{{cite web|url=http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/gregory/index.html|title=James J. H.Gregory: A Timeline of his Life|publisher=SaveSeeds.org|access-date=November 15, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103171037/http://www.saveseeds.org/biography/gregory/index.html|archive-date=November 3, 2014}}</ref><ref name="downing">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BpQAAAAAYAAJ&q=Hubbard+Squash&pg=RA6-PA4|title=The Horticulturalist, and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste|last=Downing|first=Andrew Jackson|date=May 1859|page=4|volume=14|publisher=C. M. Saxton, Barker & Co.|location=New York}}</ref> The Hubbard squash, including questions regarding the name, is the subject of a children's ditty, "Raising Hubbard Squash in Vermont".<ref name="cady">{{cite book|last=Cady|first=Daniel Leavens|title=Rhymes of Vermont Rural Life|location=Rutland, VT|publisher=The Tuttle Company|year=1919|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0tFAAAAIAAJ&q=Hubbard+Squash&pg=PA100|page=100}}</ref>
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*[[Jarrahdale pumpkin]] is a pumpkin with gray skin that is nearly identical to [[Queensland Blue]] (though has more water content when roasted) and [[Sweet Meat_(squash)]] varieties.
*[[JAP (or Kent) Pumpkin]] is the most common "pumpkin" eaten in Australia (known in other countries as a winter squash) it has a mottled/stripy dark green and cream skin. The flesh is a bright orange and the vines have been known to grow up to 15 fruit on them of at least 2kg each. Known to grow in a wide variety of climates, it is favoured by backyard growers. Is as its best when roasted, the skin, flesh, and seeds are all edible.
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*[[Kabocha]] is a Japanese variety with dark green skin and bright golden-orange flesh.
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*[[Lakota squash]] is an American variety.
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*[[Nanticoke squash]] was grown by the [[Nanticoke tribe|Nanticoke people]] of Delaware and Eastern Maryland. It is one of only a few surviving Native American winter squashes from the Eastern woodlands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nanticoke Squash |url=https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/products/nanticoke-squash |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Experimental Farm Network Seed Store |language=en}}</ref>
*[[Turban squash]], also known as "French turban", predates 1820 and is closely related to the buttercup squash.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is Turban Squash and How Is It Used? |url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-turban-squash-5199213 |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=The Spruce Eats |language=en}}</ref>


==Uses==
==Uses==
Buttercup squash, a common cultivar, can be roasted, baked, and mashed into soups, among a variety of filler uses, much like [[pumpkin]]. It is extremely popular, especially as a soup, in [[Brazil]], [[Colombia]], and [[Africa]].
Buttercup squash, a common cultivar, can be roasted, baked, and mashed into soups, among a variety of filler uses, much like [[pumpkin]]. It is extremely popular, especially as a soup, in [[Brazil]], [[Colombia]], and [[Africa]].


All [[Pumpkin#Giant pumpkins|giant pumpkins]] (over {{convert|100|lb|disp=or}}) are of this species, including the largest pumpkins ever documented, which have attained a size of {{convert|2624|lb}}.<ref name="giant">{{cite web|url=http://www.giantpumpkin.com/world_records.php|title=World Record Achievements|publisher= GiantPumpkin.com|accessdate=November 15, 2014}}</ref>
All [[giant pumpkin]]s (over {{convert|300|lb|disp=or}}) are of this species, including the largest pumpkins ever documented, which have attained a size of {{convert|2702.9|lb}} {{as of|lc=y|2021}}.<ref name="giant">{{cite web|url=https://gpc1.org/gpc-champions/guinness-records/guinness-pumpkins/|title=Guinness World Record Pumpkins|publisher= gpc1.org|access-date=July 5, 2023}}</ref>


The seed of ''C. maxima'' is used in treating parasites in animals.<ref name="Díaz">{{cite journal|last1=Díaz |first1=Obregón D.|last2=Lloja |first2=Lozano L.|last3=Carbajal |first3=Zúñiga V.|language=Spanish|journal=Revista de Gastroenterologia del Perú|title=Preclinical studies of cucurbita maxima (pumpkin seeds) a traditional intestinal antiparasitic in rural urban areas|year=2004|volume=24|issue=4|pages=323–327|pmid=15614300}}</ref>
The seed of ''C. maxima'' is used in treating parasites in animals.<ref name="Díaz">{{cite journal|last1=Díaz |first1=Obregón D.|last2=Lloja |first2=Lozano L.|last3=Carbajal |first3=Zúñiga V.|language=es|journal=Revista de Gastroenterologia del Perú|title=Preclinical studies of cucurbita maxima (pumpkin seeds) a traditional intestinal antiparasitic in rural urban areas|year=2004|volume=24|issue=4|pages=323–327|pmid=15614300}}</ref>


==Cultivation==
==Cultivation==
{{Update section|reason=sources might be outdated|date=July 2022}}
⚫
Different squash types of this species were introduced into North America as early as the 16th century. By the American Revolution, the species was in cultivation by Native American tribes throughout the present-day United States. By the early 19th century, at least three varieties are known to have been commercially introduced in North America from seeds obtained from Native Americans. Secondary centers of diversity include [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Myanmar]], and possibly the southern [[Appalachians]]. The large red-orange squashes often seen at Halloween in the United States are ''C. maxima'', but not to be confused with the orange type used for jack-o-lanterns, which are ''C. pepo''.<ref name=nee>{{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}}</ref>
Since this plant requires a fair amount of hot weather for best growth, it has not become very well established in northern Europe, the British Isles, or in similar areas with short or cool summers.<ref name="Boswell"/>

The ideal soil pH range for cultivation ranges from 6.0 to 6.8.

Recommended spacing can vary depending on the specific variety, but generally, plants are spaced around 3–5 feet apart in rows that are approximately 6–10 feet apart. Planting depth of around 1–2 inches.

Fertilization should be carried out based on soil test results and specific crop nutrient requirements.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How to Grow and Care for Winter Squash |url=https://www.thespruce.com/cucurbita-maxima-winter-squash-guide-5201845 |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=The Spruce |language=en}}</ref>

⚫
Many cultivars of ''Cucurbita maxima'' have been developed. Only long-vining plants are known in this species.<ref name="Boswell">Victor E. Boswell and Else Bostelmann. "Our Vegetable Travelers." ''The National Geographic Magazine.'' '''96'''.2: August 1949.</ref> As in ''[[Cucurbita pepo|C. pepo]]'', plants exist with a "bush habit" that is particularly evident in young plants, but older plants grow in the wild-type [[Vine|vining]] manner.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cgc/cgcgenes/gene92squash.html |title=Gene List for ''Cucurbita'' spp. |author=Mark G. Hutton and R. W. Robinson |access-date=16 November 2014}}</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery perrow="4">
<gallery perrow="4">
File:Cucurbita maxima var. zapallito germplasm bank IPK code MAX 301 - 8 days after anthesis.jpg|Typical "Zapallito" summer squash fruit.
File:Cucurbita maxima var. zapallito germplasm bank IPK code MAX 301 - 8 days after anthesis.jpg|Typical "Zapallito" summer squash fruit.
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File:Pinkbananasquash.jpg|A Pink Banana squash, cut, with seeds removed, with a U.S. quarter for size comparison.
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File:Buttercupsquash.JPG|A buttercup squash.
File:Cucurbita maxima 2012 G1.jpg|An edible squash
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File:Blue hubbard squash.jpg|A cut open blue hubbard squash.
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File:Goldenhubbardsquash.JPG|A golden hubbard squash.
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File:Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana - frutos de varios tipos.jpg|Different fruit types of ''C. maxima'' ssp. ''andreana'' from Argentina<ref name="maximadiffspecies">{{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=Spanish}}</ref>
File:Cucurbita maxima Zapallo Plomo semillería Costanzi - 2014 03 28 - squash H I N P on the roof.JPG|A vining cultivar growing up to a roof.
File:Cucurbita maxima Zapallo Plomo semillería Costanzi - 2014 03 28 - squash H I N P on the roof.JPG|A vining cultivar growing up to a roof.
File:Pumpkin plant @ Kanjirappally 01.jpg|Plant
File:Pumpkin plant @ Kanjirappally 02.jpg|Plant
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Latest revision as of 14:51, 7 July 2024

Cucurbita maxima
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Cucurbita
Species:
C. maxima
Binomial name
Cucurbita maxima
Subspecies
  • C. maxima subsp. andreana
  • C. maxima subsp. maxima
Synonyms[1]
  • Cucumis rapallito Carrière
  • Cucumis zapallito Carrière
  • Cucurbita farinae Mozz. ex Naudin
  • Cucurbita maxima var. triloba Millán
  • Cucurbita maxima var. turgida L.H.Bailey
  • Cucurbita maxima var. zapallito (Carrière) Millán
  • Cucurbita maxima var. zipinka Millán
  • Cucurbita pileiformis M.Roem.
  • Cucurbita rapallito Carrière
  • Cucurbita sulcata Blanco
  • Cucurbita turbaniformis M.Roem.
  • Cucurbita zapallito Carrière
  • Pepo maximus Peterm.
  • Pileocalyx elegans Gasp.

Cucurbita maxima, one of at least five species of cultivated squash, is one of the most diverse domesticated species.[2] This species originated in South America from the wild subspecies Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana over 4,000 years ago.[3] Cucurbita maxima, known for modern varieties as Hubbard, Delicious, Marblehead, Boston Marrow, and Turks Turban, originated in northern Argentina near the Andes or in certain Andean valleys.[4] Secondary centers of diversity include India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the southern Appalachians.

Different squash types of this species were introduced into North America as early as the 16th century. By the American Revolution, the species was in cultivation by Native American tribes throughout the present-day United States. By the early 19th century, at least three varieties are known to have been commercially introduced in North America from seeds obtained from Native Americans.[5]

Types

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Subspecies andreana

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Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana fruits (top), plant in the middle of the season (middle) and fruits left at the end of the season (bottom). The opaque ones are fruits left on earlier seasons from a different plant on the same place.
Different fruit types of C. maxima subsp. andreana from Argentina[6]

At one time considered a separate species, andreana has been placed by modern biosystematics as a subspecies of C. maxima. It is native to Argentina and Uruguay and is the ancestor of the domesticated forms. C. andreana fruits are smaller and not palatable.[5][3] It hybridizes readily with individuals of other C. maxima subspecies.

C. maxima subsp. andreana has notably different calcium levels than individuals of other C. maxima subspecies.[7] C. andreana has yellow flowers and bright green striped fruit. Extrafloral nectaries are present in C. maxima but not necessarily in C. andreana.[8]

It was first formally described by Charles Victor Naudin in 1896, in Revue Horticole.[9]

Cultivars

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A Pink Banana squash, cut, with seeds removed, with a U.S. quarter for size comparison.
A buttercup squash.
A cut open blue hubbard squash.
A golden Hubbard squash.
  • Arikara squash weighs from four to eleven pounds with a teardrop or round shape with a mottled orange and green color pattern. It is used both for its eating qualities and as decoration. This variety traces its ancestry to the Arikara tribe of the Dakotas, among whom its cultivation predates white settlement.[citation needed]
  • Banana squash has an elongated shape, with light blue, pink, or orange skin and bright orange flesh.
  • Boston marrow is sweet, narrow at one end, and bulbous at the other.[10]
  • Buttercup squash has a turban shape (a flattish top) and dark green skin, weighs three to five pounds, and features dense, yellow-orange flesh. Not to be confused with butternut squash.
  • Candy roaster squash is a landrace developed by the Cherokee people in the southern Appalachians. A United States Department of Agriculture accession in 1960 notes that Candy Roasters had been grown for more than 100 years as of that date.[11] It is variable in size and shape with more than 40 distinct forms according to one authority.[12] Candy roasters consistently feature fine-textured orange flesh, while varying in size (from 10 lbs to more than 250 lbs); shape (including round, cylindrical, teardrop, and blocky); and color (pink, tan, green, blue, gray, and orange).[13] An article in the 1925 Charlotte Observer newspaper of Charlotte, North Carolina provides an account of two candy roaster varieties at a Cherokee fair that were both of similar shape and size to a Catawba watermelon, one being colored like a citron melon and the other "pumpkin color".[14]
  • Hubbard squash usually has a tear-drop shape and is often used as a replacement for pumpkins in cooking. According to one source,[15] the name comes from Bela Hubbard, settler of Randolph Township, Ohio, in the Connecticut Western Reserve. Other sources conclude that this variety came to Marblehead, Massachusetts via Captain Knott Martin where Elizabeth Hubbard brought it to the attention of her neighbor, a seed trader named James J. H. Gregory. Gregory subsequently introduced it to the market using Hubbard as the eponym. Gregory later bred and released the Blue Hubbard, a variety with bluish-gray skin. Another variety, the Golden Hubbard, has a bright orange skin. Gregory advertisements for Hubbard squash had begun by 1859.[16][17][18] The Hubbard squash, including questions regarding the name, is the subject of a children's ditty, "Raising Hubbard Squash in Vermont".[19]
  • Jarrahdale pumpkin is a pumpkin with gray skin that is nearly identical to Queensland Blue (though has more water content when roasted) and Sweet Meat_(squash) varieties.
  • JAP (or Kent) Pumpkin is the most common "pumpkin" eaten in Australia (known in other countries as a winter squash) it has a mottled/stripy dark green and cream skin. The flesh is a bright orange and the vines have been known to grow up to 15 fruit on them of at least 2kg each. Known to grow in a wide variety of climates, it is favoured by backyard growers. Is as its best when roasted, the skin, flesh, and seeds are all edible.
  • Kabocha is a Japanese variety with dark green skin and bright golden-orange flesh.
  • Lakota squash is an American variety.
  • Nanticoke squash was grown by the Nanticoke people of Delaware and Eastern Maryland. It is one of only a few surviving Native American winter squashes from the Eastern woodlands.[20]
  • Turban squash, also known as "French turban", predates 1820 and is closely related to the buttercup squash.[21]

Uses

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Buttercup squash, a common cultivar, can be roasted, baked, and mashed into soups, among a variety of filler uses, much like pumpkin. It is extremely popular, especially as a soup, in Brazil, Colombia, and Africa.

All giant pumpkins (over 300 pounds or 140 kilograms) are of this species, including the largest pumpkins ever documented, which have attained a size of 2,702.9 pounds (1,226.0 kg) as of 2021.[22]

The seed of C. maxima is used in treating parasites in animals.[23]

Cultivation

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Since this plant requires a fair amount of hot weather for best growth, it has not become very well established in northern Europe, the British Isles, or in similar areas with short or cool summers.[4]

The ideal soil pH range for cultivation ranges from 6.0 to 6.8.

Recommended spacing can vary depending on the specific variety, but generally, plants are spaced around 3–5 feet apart in rows that are approximately 6–10 feet apart. Planting depth of around 1–2 inches.

Fertilization should be carried out based on soil test results and specific crop nutrient requirements.[24]

Many cultivars of Cucurbita maxima have been developed. Only long-vining plants are known in this species.[4] As in C. pepo, plants exist with a "bush habit" that is particularly evident in young plants, but older plants grow in the wild-type vining manner.[25]

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  • Typical "Zapallito" summer squash fruit.
    Typical "Zapallito" summer squash fruit.
  • A vining cultivar growing up to a roof.
    A vining cultivar growing up to a roof.

References

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  1. ^ "Cucurbita maxima". The Plant List. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  2. ^ Ferriol, María; Picó, Belén; Nuez, Fernando (2004). "Morphological and Molecular Diversity of a Collection of Cucurbita maxima Landraces". Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 129 (1): 60–69. doi:10.21273/JASHS.129.1.0060.
  3. ^ a b Sanjur, Oris I.; Piperno, Dolores R.; Andres, Thomas C.; Wessel-Beaver, Linda (2002). "Phylogenetic Relationships among Domesticated and Wild Species of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae) Inferred from a Mitochondrial Gene: Implications for Crop Plant Evolution and Areas of Origin" (PDF). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 99 (1). Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences: 535–540. Bibcode:2002PNAS...99..535S. doi:10.1073/pnas.012577299. JSTOR 3057572. PMC 117595. PMID 11782554.
  4. ^ a b c Victor E. Boswell and Else Bostelmann. "Our Vegetable Travelers." The National Geographic Magazine. 96.2: August 1949.
  5. ^ a b Nee, Michael (1990). "The Domestication of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae)". Economic Botany. 44 (3, Supplement: New Perspectives on the Origin and Evolution of New World Domesticated Plants). New York: New York Botanical Gardens Press: 56–68. doi:10.1007/BF02860475. JSTOR 4255271. S2CID 40493539.
  6. ^ Millán, R. (1945). "Variaciones del zapallito amargo Cucurbita andreana y el origen de Cucurbita maxima". Revista Argentina de Agronomía (in Spanish). 12: 86–93.
  7. ^ Skilnyk, Hilary R.; Lott, John N. A. (1992). "Mineral analyses of storage reserves of Cucurbita maxima and Cucurbita andreana pollen". Canadian Journal of Botany. 70 (3): 491–495. doi:10.1139/b92-063.
  8. ^ López-Anido, Fernando; Vesprini, José (2007). "Extrafloral Nectaries in Cucurbita maxima Sub. andreana (Naudin) Filov". Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report. 30. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University: 38–42.
  9. ^ "Cucurbita maxima". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  10. ^ "Boston Marrow Squash". Rare Seeds. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
  11. ^ Plant Inventory No. 168. United States Department of Agriculture. 1967.
  12. ^ Best, Bill (2013-04-15). Saving Seeds, Preserving Taste: Heirloom Seed Savers in Appalachia. Ohio University Press. ISBN 978-0-8214-4462-7.
  13. ^ Dwivedi, Sangam; Goldman, Irwin; Ortiz, Rodomiro (August 2019). "Pursuing the Potential of Heirloom Cultivars to Improve Adaptation, Nutritional, and Culinary Features of Food Crops". Agronomy. 9 (8): 441. doi:10.3390/agronomy9080441. ISSN 2073-4395.
  14. ^ "The Candy Roaster". The Charlotte Observer. October 31, 1925. p. 8. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Troyer, Loris C. (1998). Portage Pathways. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-87338-600-5.
  16. ^ Watson, Ben (1996). Taylor's Guides to Heirloom Vegetables: A Complete Guide to the Best Historic and Ethnic Varieties. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcour. p. 268. ISBN 978-0-395-70818-7.
  17. ^ "James J. H.Gregory: A Timeline of his Life". SaveSeeds.org. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  18. ^ Downing, Andrew Jackson (May 1859). The Horticulturalist, and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste. Vol. 14. New York: C. M. Saxton, Barker & Co. p. 4.
  19. ^ Cady, Daniel Leavens (1919). Rhymes of Vermont Rural Life. Rutland, VT: The Tuttle Company. p. 100.
  20. ^ "Nanticoke Squash". Experimental Farm Network Seed Store. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  21. ^ "What Is Turban Squash and How Is It Used?". The Spruce Eats. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  22. ^ "Guinness World Record Pumpkins". gpc1.org. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  23. ^ Díaz, Obregón D.; Lloja, Lozano L.; Carbajal, Zúñiga V. (2004). "Preclinical studies of cucurbita maxima (pumpkin seeds) a traditional intestinal antiparasitic in rural urban areas". Revista de Gastroenterologia del Perú (in Spanish). 24 (4): 323–327. PMID 15614300.
  24. ^ "How to Grow and Care for Winter Squash". The Spruce. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
  25. ^ Mark G. Hutton and R. W. Robinson. "Gene List for Cucurbita spp". Retrieved 16 November 2014.
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