Pumpkin, Winter squash
Cucurbita moschata

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

A pumpkin family plant. It is a creeping plant with long creeping stems and softly hairy but without prickly hairs. The stem are rounded or 5 angled and moderately hard. They can grow 15-20 m long. The leaves are large and shallowly lobed and divided like fingers on a hand. Occasionally the leaves have white blotches. They have rounded lobes. They are 20 cm by 30 cm. The leaf stalk is 12-30 cm long. The flowers have male and female flowers separately on the same plant. The fruit stalk is distinctly expanded there it joins the fruit. The fruit are not hard shelled and are dull in colour. The flesh is yellow. Often the flesh has fibres through it. The seeds are plump and white to brown. They separate easily from the pulp of the fruit. The edge of the seed is scalloped and irregular in outline. There are a large number of cultivated varieties.

There are 25 Cucurbita species. It has anticancer properties.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It suits the wet tropics. It will thrive in humid as well as in very hot climates. A temperature of 18-30°C is best. In Papua New Guinea it grows to 2,400 m above sea level. It can tolerate some shade. It can grow in soils with a pH of 5.5-6.9. In Bolivia it grows up to 2000 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bangladesh, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Bougainville, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, 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, FSM, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Korea, Liberia, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mariana Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Sahel, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uruguay, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten cooked. They are boiled, fried or baked. They can be mashed and used in pies, soups, bread and cakes. They can be dried, ground into flour and used for bread. The young leaves and flowers are edible. They can also be dried and stored. The seeds are eaten roasted. They can also be roasted in salt.

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. It is sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves, seeds, vegetable, flowers

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Seeds can be put in a nursery and transplanted.

Fruit mature in 70-180 days after sowing depending on variety.

Its other names

Local names

Abobora-redonda, Ayote, Be, Bocor, Bulung jelok, Butternut squash, Calabacin, Calabaza, Canada crookneck, Cushaw, Hobak, Hpayon, Iwa, Kabocha, Kanmble, Nhoko, Pamukeni, Pucuk labu, Pwengkin, Tap, Zapallo

Synonyms

Cucurbita pepo var. moschata Duchesne ex Lam.;