Menu list goes here

Herbal Database Search Results

Back to: Pathways Main Search Page For Metaphysical uses visit The Witchs Haven

Cucurbita argyrosperma

Common name:	Cushaw Pumpkin	Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Author:	C.Huber.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Cucurbita mixta (Pangalo.)
Known Hazards:	The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[65].
Range:	C. America? Origin is uncertain.
Habitat:	Not known in the wild[135].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. argyrosperma subsp. argyrosperma[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Mixta Squash [H], Pumpkin [P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Violales. Cucumber family

Physical Characteristics

Annual Climber. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Flowers Fruit Leaves Oil Seed.

Fruit - cooked[1, 177]. Used as a vegetable in pies etc, it can be stored for up to 6 months. Generally the fruit is fibrousy, watery and less richly flavoured than C. maxima., C. moschata. and C. pepo[183]. The flesh can be dried, ground into a powder and mixed with cereals for making bread, cakes etc[183]. The fruit is up to 20cm in diameter[200].
Seed - raw, roasted or dried, ground into a powder and mixed with cereals when making bread etc[183]. The seed is rich in oil and has a pleasant nutty flavour. Although relatively large[183], they are very fiddly to use because they are covered with a fibrous coat[K].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[183].
Leaves - cooked[135].
Flowers - cooked[135, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Vermifuge.

The seeds are vermifuge[7, 88]. The complete seed, together with the husk, is used. This is ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purgative afterwards in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body[7]. As a remedy for internal parasites, the seeds are less potent than the root of Dryopteris felix-mas, but they are safer for pregnant women, debilitated patients and children[238].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position[1]. Plants are tolerant of high temperatures but sensitive to cool conditions, they favour moderate rainfall but the roots are sensitive to water-logging[200].
A frost-tender annual plant, the Cushaw pumpkin has long been cultivated for its edible fruit especially in warmer temperate and tropical areas. There are some named varieties[183] and these are day-length neutral[200]. Plants can succeed outdoors in Britain in most summers so long as they are started off early in a greenhouse and grown on quickly.
Over time, various more or less distinct groups of cultivars have been developed and these have been classified by botanists as detailed below. Since they all have similar requirements, and it can be rather difficult to classify some varieties, we have dealt with them all here and not given them separate entries.
C. argyrosperma. The Cushaw pumpkin, as dealt with in this entry. It is subdivided into:-
C. argyrosperma argyrosperma. The silver-seed gourd. Cultivated mainly for its edible seeds which are larger than in other forms with an attractive silvery edge.
C. argyrosperma callicarpa. Japanese pie pumpkin or green-stripe cushaw.
C. argyrosperma stenosperma. Cultivated in Mexico, we do not know of a common name.
This species does not hybridize naturally with other members of this genus, though crosses have been made under controlled conditions[86, 135].
Squashes and pumpkins can be differentiated from each other by their fruit stalk, it is angular and polygonal in pumpkins but thick, soft and round in squashes[132].
This species is included in C. moschata by some botanists[86].

Propagation

Seed - sow early to mid spring in a greenhouse in a rich soil. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin out to the best plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts, giving them cloche or frame protection for at least their first few weeks if you are trying them outdoors.

Cultivars

'': There are many named varieties of this annual fruit, with new forms being developed each year. At present there is not time to enter these in the database and it is recommended that you consult the book 'The Fruit and Vegetable Finder' which is updated regularly and can be obtained from libraries.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Cucurbita argyrosperma subsp. argyrosperma (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Cucurbita mixta (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[86] Organ. J. Gourds. Faber 1963
Deals with squashes and their relatives. Interesting and readable, it gives cultivation techniques and some details of plant uses.

[88] RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.

[132] Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.
Lovely pictures, a very readable book.

[135] ? The Plantsman. Vol.8. 1986 - 1987. Royal Horticultural Society 1986
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including some Cucurbitaceae.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers Comments

Back to: Pathways Home page, Main Search Page Help Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Cucurbita+argyrosperma
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Cucurbita+argyrosperma

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.

Pathways Home :: View Cart :: Shipping & Returns :: Contact Us :: Privacy Policy :: Philosophy :: The Witchs Haven

We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.