Cucurbita moschata (Duch. ex Lamk) Duch. ex Poiret
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Synonyms
Cucurbita pepo L. var. moschata
Vernacular Names
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Malaysia |
Labu merah, labu parang. |
|
English |
Pumpkin, winter squash, summer squash, marrow, cushaw, gourd. |
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Indonesia |
Waluh, labu, labu merah. |
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Papua New Guinea |
Pamkin. |
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Philippines |
Kalabasa. |
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Cambodia |
Lo-pëu. |
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Laos |
F’ak kh’am, f’ak th’oong, ‘ü’. |
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Thailand |
Fak-thong (Central), namtao farang (Peninsular). |
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Vietnam |
B[is] d[or], b[is] ng[oo]. |
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French |
Courge, potiron, courgette. |
Geographical Distributions
The genus Cucurbita comprising about 25 species, is of New World origin. Central Mexico is considered the centre of origin of Cucurbita moschata. Archaeological evidence for the association of cultivated Cucurbita with man dates back to about 8000 BC. Wild forms have never been found. C. moschata spreads both north (United States) and south (Central and northern South America). After the discovery of the New World, Cucurbita species were introduced into the Old World, and secondary centres of diversity developed, mainly in Asia.
Description
Cucurbita moschata is a vine with hard and angular stem.
The leaves are soft hairy, not harsh, large and shallowly lobed. The petal is with widely spreading and mostly reflexed lobes.
The fruit is a pepo. The fruit stalk is hard, smoothly grooved and enlarged at fruit attachment.
Ecology / Cultivation
Cucurbita moschata is grown in the tropics from the lowlands up to 1500 m altitude. They are warm season crops adapted to monthly mean temperatures of 18-27°C. C. moschata is the least tolerant of low temperatures. The species is relatively insensitive to photoperiod, although both photoperiod and temperature influence the ratio of male to female flowers (long days and high temperatures favouring male sex expression). C. moschata is not very demanding with respect to soil requirements. It can be cultivated on almost any fertile, well-drained soil with a neutral or slightly acid reaction (pH 5.5-7). It is drought-tolerant, requires relatively little water, and is sensitive to waterlogging. Excessive humidity is harmful because of the development of leaf diseases, so none of the species does well in the humid tropics.
Line Drawing / Photograph
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1) Safety
References
1. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.8: Vegetables.
