Cucurbita is a genus of herbaceous fruits in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five edible species are grown and consumed for their flesh and seeds. They are variously known as squash, pumpkin, or gourd, depending on species, variety, and local parlance. Other kinds of gourd, also called bottle-gourds, are native to Africa and belong to the genus Lagenaria, which is in the same family and subfamily as Cucurbita, but in a different tribe. These other gourds are used as utensils or vessels, and their young fruits are eaten much like those of the Cucurbita species.
Image: Squashes at Kew Gardens Incr Edibles 2013
Image: Cultivated Cucurbita of Canada
C. pepo pumpkins – the two bright orange ones in center right, and squashes C. maxima, all others
The leaves of Cucurbita moschata often have white spots near the veins.
Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly Cucurbita and Lagenaria. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. One of the earliest domesticated types of plants, subspecies of the bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, have been discovered in archaeological sites dating from as early as 13,000 BCE. Gourds have had numerous uses throughout history, including as tools, musical instruments, objects of art, film, and food.
Gourds at a market in Massachusetts
Cucurbita pepo gourds grown in a suburban garden in Australia
An Indian gourd
Calabash gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, used for drinking mate
