Coyote Gourd
Cucurbita digitata

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

Cucurbita digitata is a prostrate vine with a deep root found in hot, arid regions with low rainfall. It is one of only a few xerophyte species in the genus Cucurbita. As a Carbon Farming Solutions plant it is a good protein-oil staple Crop; each white seed is about 35% protein and 50% fat.

Cucurbita digitata is an evergreen Perennial growing to 5 m (16ft) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Height (m): 5

Where it is found

Found in sandy alluvial soil of washes and valleys or on dry plains and mesas; 5,000 ft (1524 m).

Native to northern Baja California at higher elevations, northern Sonora, Mexico, southern Arizona, and southwestern New Mexico.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Mexico, North America, USA

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Carbon Farming Solutions - Staple Crop: protein-oil (The term staple crop typically refers to a food that is eaten routinely and accounts for a dominant part of people's diets in a particular region of the world). The fruit is bitter and generally not edible. The fruit is a dark green squash, rounded or nearly rounded, with mottling and distinct white stripes. A few animals may eat the flesh while trying to get at the seeds. Each white seed is about a centimeter long and at 35% protein and 50% fat is a nutritious food.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating: 3

Seed oil is made from a number of plants in the Cucurbita genus. For example, Buffalo gourd oil is a seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the Cucurbita foetidissima. The seeds of the Buffalo gourd are rich in oil and protein, and were used by American Indians to make soap. The oil's fatty acid composition is dominated by linoleic acid (64.5%) and oleic acid (17.1%).

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.

Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.

Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

Climate: subtropical. Humidity: arid to semi-arid. A hairy vining plant similar in appearance to its close relative Cucurbita palmata but the lobes of its leaves are usually more slender. It is a prostrate vine, rarely climbing, with a deep root and slender branches. These species form the only restricted xerophyte species group in the genus Cucurbita. Carbon Farming Solutions - Cultivation: new crop. Management: standard (Describes the non-destructive management systems that are used in cultivation).

Propagating it: Seed.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Some reports the fruit pulp is poisonous.

Its other names

Local names

Calabacillo, Menoncillo, chichi coyota, chichicayote, meloncillo, melón de coyote, calabaza amarga, calabacilla, Finger-Leaf Gourd, fingerleaf gourd, finger-leafed gourd, coyote gourd, Bitter squash.

Synonyms

No synonyms are recorded for this name.