Marrows, squashes and pumpkins
Family Cucurbitaceae
Cucurbita sp., marrows, squashes and pumpkins (C. pepo 1), are monoecious annual or perennial climbing herbs, with simple alternate hairy and lobed leaves, and large solitary pentamerous yellow flowers, the male ones with 3 stamens; the female ones with an inferior ovary with a thick style and 2-lobed stigma. Fruits are very variable in size, shape and colour (C. pepo 2), (C. pepo 3). All species are from New World origin, about 4 are grown for their edible fruits. Cucurbita pepo var. ovifera (C. pepo 4, C. pepo 13) and Cucurbita pepo var. turbaniformis are grown for their ornamental fruits (C. pepo 14).
Taxonomy of the genus Cucurbita is very confusing, partly because the English and American interpretation of the names marrows, squashes and pumpkins is different, partly because of the polymorphic characters of Cucurbita pepo. The following main groups can be distinguished:
1. Summer squashes: the immature fruits of Cucurbita pepo used as a vegetable. The mature fruits , which are boiled as a vegetable, are known as vegetable marrows.
2. Winter squashes: the mature fruits of Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita maxima (C. maxima 2) (C. maxima 3), Cucurbita mixta (see right in C. pepo 7), Cucurbita moschata (C. moschata 1), used as a vegetable and in pies (C. pepo 5; C. pepo 7). The French varieties of Cucurbita pepo ‘courgette’ (C. pepo 9) and ‘patisson’ (C. pepo 11) are rather well known in Europe. The courgette is elongated and yellow or green in colour (C. pepo 10), the patisson is white and resembles a flying saucer in shape. Cucurbita maxima (C. maxima 1) produces large fruits, which are carved at Halloween, and a variety of forms that are popular as a vegetable in the US (C. maxima 2). It is also popular as a vegetable in Asia (C. maxima 3; C. maxima 4).
3. Pumpkins: the mature fruits of Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita maxima (C. maxima 4), Cucurbita mixta (C. mixta 1), and Cucurbita moschata (C. moschata 1) with coarser and strongly flavoured flesh. They are not used as a vegetable, but are used in pies (C. pepo 8; C. pepo 12; C. pepo 15). Cushaw pumpkins are the fruits of Cucurbita mixta, they are popular in the US.