Editing Cucurbita (section)

{{Short description|Genus of herbaceous plants}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = Squash
| image = Squashes at Kew Gardens IncrEdibles 2013.jpg
| image2 = Cultivated Cucurbita of Canada.jpg
| image2_caption = Cross section of a ''[[Cucurbita pepo|C. pepo]]'' pumpkin with the fine-textured flesh favoured for making [[pumpkin pie]]
| image_caption = ''Cucurbita'' fruits come in an assortment of colors and sizes.
| image_alt = Various sizes, shapes, and colors of ''Cucurbita''
| taxon = Cucurbita
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
| synonyms =
* ''Melopepo'' <small>[[Philip Miller|Mill.]]</small>
* ''Ozodycus'' <small>[[Constantine Samuel Rafinesque|Raf.]]</small>
* ''Pepo'' <small>Mill.</small>
* ''Pileocalyx'' <small>Gasp.</small>
* ''Sphenantha'' <small>[[Heinrich Schrader (botanist)|Schrad.]]</small>
* ''Tristemon'' <small>[[George Heinrich Adolf Scheele|Scheele]]</small>
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{cite POWO |id=13252-1 |title=''Cucurbita'' L. |access-date=16 November 2024}}</ref>
}}

{{langnf|la|'''Cucurbita'''|[[gourd]]}}<ref name="burrows" /><ref name="gledhill">{{cite book |last=Gledhill |first=David |year=2008 |title=The Names of Plants |url=https://archive.org/details/namesplants00gled_746 |url-access=limited |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0521866453 |page=[https://archive.org/details/namesplants00gled_746/page/n136 127]}}</ref> is a [[genus]] of [[Herbaceous plant|herbaceous]] [[fruit]]s in the gourd [[family (biology)|family]], [[Cucurbitaceae]] (also known as ''cucurbits'' or ''cucurbi''), native to the [[Andes]] and [[Mesoamerica]]. Five edible species are grown and consumed for their flesh and seeds. They are variously known as '''squash''',<!--REDIRECT TARGET from "Squash fruit"--> [[pumpkin]], or [[gourd]], depending on species, [[Variety (botany)|variety]], and local parlance.{{efn|Due to wide variation in how the terms squash, pumpkin, and gourd are used, even among academics, in this article, the term squash can refer to any member of the genus ''Cucurbita''. Pumpkin and gourd are used to refer to species, varieties, and cultivars commonly referred to by those terms.<ref name="Ferriol">{{cite book |last1=Ferriol |first1=María |last2=Picó |first2=Belén |year=2007 |title=Handbook of Plant Breeding: Vegetables I |publisher=Springer |location=New York |chapter=3 |isbn=978-0-387-72291-7 |page=317 |quote=The common terms "pumpkin", "squash", "gourd", "cushaw", "ayote", "zapallo", "calabaza", etc. are often applied indiscriminately to different cultivated species of the New World genus ''Cucurbita'' L. (Cucurbitaceae): ''C.&nbsp;pepo'' L., ''C.&nbsp; maxima'' Duchesne, ''C.&nbsp;moschata'' Duchesne, ''C.&nbsp;argyrosperma'' C.&nbsp;Huber and ''C.&nbsp;ficifolia'' Bouché.}}</ref>}} 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 (biology)|tribe]]; their young fruits are eaten much like those of the ''Cucurbita'' species.

Most ''Cucurbita'' species are herbaceous vines that grow several meters in length and have [[tendril]]s, but non-vining "bush" cultivars of ''C.&nbsp;pepo'' and ''C.&nbsp;maxima'' have also been developed. The yellow or orange flowers on a ''Cucurbita'' plant are of two types: female and male. The female flowers produce the fruit and the male flowers produce [[pollen]]. Many North and Central American species are visited by specialist [[Apidae|bee]] [[pollinator]]s, but other insects with more general feeding habits, such as [[honey bee]]s, also visit.

There is debate about the [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]] of the genus and the number of accepted species varies from 13 to 30. The five [[Domestication#Plants|domesticated]] species are ''[[Cucurbita argyrosperma]]'', ''[[Cucurbita ficifolia|C.&nbsp;ficifolia]]'', ''[[Cucurbita maxima|C.&nbsp;maxima]]'', ''[[Cucurbita moschata|C.&nbsp;moschata]]'', and ''[[Cucurbita pepo|C.&nbsp;pepo]],'' all of which can be treated as [[winter squash]] because the full-grown fruits can be stored for months. However, ''C.&nbsp;pepo'' includes some [[cultivar]]s that are better used only as [[summer squash]].

The fruits of the genus ''Cucurbita'' are good sources of [[nutrient]]s, such as [[vitamin A]] and [[vitamin C]], among other nutrients according to species. The fruits have many culinary uses including [[pumpkin pie]], [[biscuit]]s, [[bread]], [[dessert]]s, [[pudding]]s, [[Drink|beverages]], and [[soup]]s; they are now [[Columbian exchange|cultivated worldwide]]. Although botanical fruits, ''Cucurbita'' gourds such as squash are typically cooked and eaten as [[vegetable]]s. Pumpkins see more varied use, and are eaten both as vegetables and as desserts such as pumpkin pie.