Cucurbita moschata
Cucurbitaceae FAMILY

Cucurbita moschata

Cucurbita moschata

Edibility
5/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[ 65 Title A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. Publisher Wolfe Year 1984 ISBN 0723408394 Description Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far. ].

Botanical Description

Cucurbita moschata is an annual climbing plant that can produce stems up to 5 metres long. These stems tend to sprawl over the ground, though they also climb into the surrounding vegetation where they support themselves by means of tendrils. The plant is widely cultivated, especially in warm temperate and tropical areas, mainly for its edible fruit, though it is also an important leaf vegetable in Africa, supplies a popular edible seed and has a wide range of medicinal uses[ 27 Title The Vegetable Garden. Publication Author Vilmorin. A. Publisher Ten Speed Press Year ISBN 0-89815-041-8 Description A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though. , 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate; tropical
Native RangeProbably from Central and South America, though the exact origin is obscure.
HabitatNot known in the wild