Cucurbita maxima Duchesne Cucurbita moschata Duchesne Cucurbitaceae (original) (raw)

Multivariate analisys of species from Cucurbitaceae family

Genetika, 2012

recorded for the species Cucumis aculeatus (16.4 cm). In terms of fruit color Momordica balsamina had a red fruit, allocated from other species whose fruits were in various shades of green. Variability is reflected in large variations in size, shape and color of fruit. Considerating that usages of these species are multiple (food for humans and animals, ornamental) studyed species deserve special attention in their further propagation and use.

ASSESSING PHENOTYPIC DIVERSITY OF CUCURBITA PORTUGUESE GERMPLASM

SUMMARY Cucurbita is considered one of the most variable genera in the entire plant kingdom with regard to fruit characteristics (colour, size and shape). The most important species are: C. maxima, C. pepo, C. argyrosperma, C. ficifolia and C. moschata. In Portugal, the production of Cucurbita spp. is based in local populations and is mainly for self-consumption (human food or animal feed) and sale on local markets. The aim of this work was to characterize 108 populations of Cucurbita being55 of C. pepo, 32 of C. maxima and 21 of C. moschata. A total of20 traits (13 qualitative and seven quantitative) were scored according to the Minimum Descriptors for Cucurbita spp. developed by the ECPGR Working Group on Cucurbits were used. The C. pepo populations revealed the highest mean values for fruit length, skin thickness and seed weight, and the populations of C. maxima showed the highest mean values for fruit width and 100 seed weight. The C. moschata populations presented the highest mean values for fruit weight and flesh thickness. ANOVA revealed significant differences for all traits, with exception of skin thickness. Principal Component Analysis showed that the three most informative principal components explained 52.5 % of the total variation and a clear separation of the three species. The results reveal a high variability in this collection ofCucurbita populations. INTRODUCTION The genus Cucurbita, belongs to the Cucurbitales order, Cucurbitaceae family, Cucurbitoideae subfamily and Cucurbiteae tribe. The centers of origin and domestication for cultivated Cucurbita species can be identified as various

The value of morpho-anatomical features in the systematics of Cucurbita L. (Cucurbitaceae) species in Nigeria

Comparative studies on the morphology and anatomy of the three species of Cucurbita L. (C. moschata, C. maxima and C. pepo) in Nigeria were carried out. The morphological features of significance include variations in the number of tendrils, fruit size, shape, nature of fruit stalk, leaf shape and flower colour. Seed-coat anatomy revealed four distinct zones, which varied in thickness and tissue layers. Similarities were observed in the distribution, differentiation and number of layers of cells and tissues in the leaf, petiole and stem sections. There were, however, variations in number of bicollateral vascular bundles in their petiole. While the number is 10 in C. moschata, 14 in C. pepo, it is 16 in C. maxima. Parietal placentation and 15 anther-lobes are reported for these species for the first time. The usefulness of these parameters in the taxonomic delimitation of these species is discussed.

The genus Ceratosanthes Adans. (Cucurbitaceae Juss.) in Brazil

2013

This study aimed to review the genus Ceratosanthes Adans. (Cucurbitaceae Juss.) in the Brazilian territory in order to better define the morphological delimitations as well as the geographical distribution and expand the studies on the palynology of the genus. The specimens studied were obtained from collections held at national and international herbaria, and scientific expeditions that occurred between 2010 and 2011. All material studied was adequately described and identified by comparison with type specimens and other properly identified collections. Based on this review of the genus, seven new synonyms are presented, resulting in five species for the Brazilian flora. This study indicates pollen grain shape as well as muri and columellae as elements of significant taxonomic value. Furthermore, an analytical key based on macromorphological characteristics, another key based on palynological studies, illustrations, distribution maps of specimens and electron micrographs of the pol...

Morphology and distribution of species of the family Cucurbitaceae in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Phytotaxa

A study of the family Cucurbitaceae in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, was carried out in 15 Local Government Areas in different ecological zones across the State, where collections were made between May 2017 and June 2018. A total of eleven species in nine genera were collected: Citrullus lanatus, Citrullus mucosospermus, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita maxima, Lagenaria siceraria, Lagenaria sphaerica, Luffa aegyptiaca, Momordica charantia, Siraitia africana, Telfairia occidentalis, and Trichosanthes cucumerina. Variation in morphology were seen in the investigated species in the stem shape that were cylindrical or angular, the compound or simple types of leaves, the indumentum of the leaf, the acute or acuminate leaf apices, the yellow or white petals, the cylindrical, spherical or irregular fruit shape, the lanceolate or irregular seed shape, and the pubescent or smooth seed. Cultivated cucurbits collected were 65% of the species investigated, while 35% occurred in the wild. A survey of the...

Historical records, origins, and development of the edible cultivar groups ofCucurbita pepo (Cucurbitaceae)

Economic Botany, 1989

Cucurbita pepo includes eight groups of edible cultivars-pumpkins, scallops, acorns, crooknecks, straightnecks, vegetable marrows, cocozelles, and zucchinis. The pumpkins, scallops, and possibly the crooknecks are ancient groups that developed along separate lines of domestication in North America. Incipient forms of all the other five groups appeared in botanical herbals of Europe by 1700. Modern forms of the vegetable marrows, cocozelles, zucchinis, and acorns appeared in Europe prior to 1860, and the modern straightnecks appeared in North America by 1896. Divergence among the various groups appears to be increasing under continuing domestication due to the different demands made on cultivars grown for their immature fruits as opposed to cultivars grown for their mature fruits. An association exists between length to width ratio and stage of culinary use of the fruits in Cucurbita pepo. Cucurbita pepo L. (Cucurbitaceae) fruits occur in a myriad of shapes, sizes, and colors. Hundreds or perhaps several thousand different named cultivars are grown. Eight groups of cultivars differing distinctly in the shape of their fruits are grown for culinary purposes. These groups are the pumpkins, scallops, acorns, crooknecks, straightnecks, vegetable marrows, cocozelles, and zucchinis (Paris 1986b). The pumpkins and acorns are grown for consumption of their mature (40 d or more past anthesis) fruits. The others are grown for consumption of their immature (generally first week past anthesis) fruits. Representative immature and mature fruits of each group are depicted in Fig. 1-16. The fruits of other C. pepo cultivars are not palatable and are grown purely for decorative purposes. These are known collectively as ornamental gourds, and they occur in a wealth of shapes and colors (Bailey 1937). Some of the ornamental gourd cultivars, such as 'Flat', 'Miniature Ball', and 'Pear', differ little from wild and feral C. pepo in their phenotypic characteristics, including small fruit size and striped fruit color pattern. Cucurbita pepo, one of five cultivated species of Cucurbita, is a native of North America (Trumbull 1876; Whitaker 1947) and has been cultivated there for several thousand years (Cutler and Whitaker 1961). The cultivated forms are domesticates of wild forms from northeastern Mexico (Andres 1987) and Texas (Bailey 1943; Erwin 1938). The cultivated, edible forms of Cucurbita generally differ from wild forms by having larger and fewer seeds and fruits, non-bitterness and less fibrous nature of the fruit flesh, larger plant parts, fewer runners, and less durable and more varicolored rinds (Whitaker and Bemis 1964). Whitaker (1960), Whitaker and Bemis (1975), and Herklots (1986) suggested that the first use by early Americans of