Cucurbita argyrosperma

Cucurbita argyrosperma, also the Japanese pie pumpkin[2] or cushaw pumpkin,[2] and silver-seed gourd,[2] is a species of winter squash originally from the south of Mexico.[3][4] This annual herbaceous plant is cultivated in the Americas for its nutritional value: its flowers, shoots, and fruits are all harvested, but it is cultivated most of all for its seeds,[5] which are used for sauces. It was formerly known as Cucurbita mixta.[5][6]

Cucurbita argyrosperma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Cucurbita
Species:
C. argyrosperma
Binomial name
Cucurbita argyrosperma
K.Koch
Synonyms[1]
  • Cucurbita cyanoperizona (Pangalo) Bukasov
  • Cucurbita mixta Pangalo
  • Cucurbita moschata var. argyrosperma (C. Huber) Naudin
  • Cucurbita pepo var. sororia (L.H.Bailey) Filov
  • Cucurbita stenosperma (Pangalo) Bukasov

It is a Cucurbita species, with pumpkin varieties that are commonly cultivated in the United States as part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex[7] and Mexico south to Nicaragua. Of all the cultivated Cucurbita species it is the least found outside the Americas. It originated in Mesoamerica and its wild ancestor is Cucurbita sororia. It is also closely related to Cucurbita kellyana and Cucurbita palmeri.[5][8]

Description

The flowers are orange or yellow and bloom in July or August. The plant grows about 1 foot high and spreads 10–15 feet. It likes well drained soil and has both male and female flowers. Fruits can weigh up to 20 pounds.[4] It is often grown in close proximity to Cucurbita moschata.[9]

Uses

Food

The flowers, stems, shoots, and unripe fruits of the plant are consumed as vegetables.[10] In the south of Mexico, the wild, more bitter varieties are used in this same way, once washed and cleaned to eliminate cucurbitin. The ripe fruit is grilled to make pies or used to feed animals. The seeds yield an edible oil.[10]

It is also grown in the Sonoran Desert region of the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico by native peoples, especially the Tohono O'odham, where it is especially prized when immature as a summer squash.

Medicinal properties

Cucurbita argyrosperma also has medicinal properties. A liquid emulsion of its seed can act as a vermifuge, and the subsequent use of a laxative can effect an expulsion of parasitic worms.[10]

The Yucatán peasantry has traditionally used the flesh of Cucurbita argyrosperma to tend burns, sores, and eczema, while the seeds have been used with the aim of promoting lactation in nursing women, and provide pain relief.[8]

References
  1. "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  2. "Cucurbita argyrosperma". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  3. 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". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences. 99 (1): 535–540. Bibcode:2002PNAS...99..535S. doi:10.1073/pnas.012577299. JSTOR 3057572. PMC 117595. PMID 11782554.
  4. "Cucurbita argyrosperma". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  5. Nee, Michael (1990). "The Domestication of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae)". Economic Botany. New York: New York Botanical Gardens Press. 44 (3, Supplement: New Perspectives on the Origin and Evolution of New World Domesticated Plants): 56–68. doi:10.1007/BF02860475. JSTOR 4255271. S2CID 40493539.
  6. Merrick, Laura C. "Characterization of Cucurbita argyrosperma, a Potential New Crop for Seed and Fruit Production". HortScience. American Society for Horticultural Science. 25 (9): 1141.
  7. Fritz, Gayle J. (1994). "Precolumbian Cucurbita argyrosperma ssp. argyrosperma (Cucurbitaceae) in the Eastern Woodlands of North America". Economic Botany. New York Botanical Garden Press. 48 (3): 280–292. doi:10.1007/bf02862329. JSTOR 4255642. S2CID 20262842.
  8. Saade, R. Lira; Hernández, S. Montes. "Cucurbits". Purdue Horticulture. Retrieved September 2, 2013.
  9. Wessel-Beaver, Linda. "Cucurbita argyrosperma Sets Fruit in Fields Where Cucurbita moschata is the only Pollen Source" (PDF). University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  10. "Cucurbita argyrosperma – C.Huber". Plants for a Future. Retrieved September 14, 2013.


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