Marrow, Pumpkin
Cucurbita pepo
Family: Cucurbitaceae
What it is like
A bristly hairy annual vine in the pumpkin family. It has branched tendrils. The stems are angular and prickly. The leaves are roughly triangular. The leaves have 5 lobes which are pointed at the end and are toothed around the edge. Male and female plants are separate on the same plant. Male flowers are carried on long grooved flower stalks. Female flowers are borne on shorter more angular stalks. The fruit stalks have furrows along them but are not fattened near the stalk. The fruit vary in shape, size and colour. Often they are oval and yellow and 20 cm long by 15 cm wide. The seeds are smaller than pumpkin and easy to separate from the tissue. The scar at their tip is rounded or horizontal, not oblique. There are a large number of cultivated varieties.
There are 25 Cucurbita species.
Where it is found
A subtropical plant. They are more suited to drier areas. They are frost sensitive. It grows best with day temperatures between 24-29°C and night temperatures of 16-24°C. It suits tropical highland regions. In Papua New Guinea it is best between 1,000 and 2,000 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 8-11.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Andorra, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Central Asia, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Equatorial-Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, FSM, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guam, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Rotuma, Rwanda, Sahel, SE Asia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, St Helena, Sudan, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Türkiye, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The young fruit are cooked and eaten. They can be steamed, boiled or fried. They are used in pies, soups, stews and cakes. The young leaves and the ripe seeds can also be eaten cooked. The seeds are dried, salted and toasted and eaten as a snack food. The seeds can also be pressed to produce oil. The sprouted seeds are used in salads. Flowers and flower buds can be eaten boiled. They can be dried for later use.
It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. Not widely distributed in Papua New Guinea. Not as common as pumpkins. It is sold in local markets.
Edible parts
Fruit, seeds, leaves, vegetable, flowers
How it is grown
They are grown from seeds. The seeds germinate after one week. They can be grown from cuttings. They are best planted on mounds. A spacing of 2-3 m between plants is needed. Hand pollination assists fruit setting. Plants can also be grown from cuttings as plants root at the nodes.
The first usable immature fruit are ready 7-8 weeks after planting.
Its other names
Local names
Abobora, Acorn squash, Aguzi, Akatewa, Amathanga, Apala, Ashkabak, Baanke, Babaka, Bonghom, Bovora, Bu-thakwa, Calabaza, Courgette, Elegede, Fan kwa, Flores de calabaza, Guias de calabaza, Ithanga, Iuhnawo, Kabewa goji, Kaddhu, Kohora, Korgety, Kumra, Kundir, Kurkaru, Loah, muBovora, Maximara, Minhanga, Obwogulu, Okono, Papukena, Paukena, Pharsi, Pokin, Safedkaddu, Sakriboate, Sakribonte, Sari kabak, Spaghetti squash, Suraikayi, Te bamkin, Te bangketi, Ugbogulu, Ukoro, Vegetable spaghetti, Wavukeni, Zucchini