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Cucurbita moschata

Common name:	Squash	Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Author:	(Duchesne. ex Lam.)Duchesne. ex Poir.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[65].
Range:	Origin is obscure.
Habitat:	Not known in the wild.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	5	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. pepo var. moschata[G] Pepo moschata[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Butternut Squash [H], Calabaza [E], Crook-neck Squash [B], Crookneck Squash [P], Giraumont [E], Kado [E], Nan Kua [E], Neck Pumpkin [H], Qabagh [E], Tahitian Melon Squash [H], Waluh [E], Wo Kua [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Violales. Cucumber family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Dominican Republic French Guiana Haiti Java Kurdistan Mexico Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Annual Climber growing to 0.6m by 5m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 10 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 5/5 for edibility and 3/5 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[2, 27, 46, 105]. Some cultivars have a delicious flavour when baked, rather like a sweet potato[K]. The flesh can be dried and ground into a powder then used in making breads etc[183]. Some varieties can be stored for up to 9 months.
Seed - raw or cooked[57, 86, 105]. Rich in oil with a pleasant nutty flavour[183] but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[K].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[183].
Leaves and young stems - cooked and used as a potherb or added to soups, stews etc[105, 135, 183].
Flowers - cooked[105, 135, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anthelmintic Galactogogue.

The seed is vermifuge[147]. It is eaten fresh or roasted for the relief of abdominal cramps and distension due to intestinal worms[218]. About 800 peeled seeds is said to make a safe and effective treatment for tape worm[218]. They are ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purge in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body[7].
The boiled root is galactogogue[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position[1, 37, 86]. Prefers a pH of 5.5 to 5.9, but tolerates up to 6.8[86]. Moderate rainfall favours growth, but the roots of most cultivars are sensitive to high soil-water levels[200].
The squash is a frost-tender annual plant that is widely cultivated, especially in warm temperate and tropical areas, for its edible fruit[27]. There are very many named varieties widely differing in size shape and taste[27, 183]. Some varieties are used in the summer and autumn whilst others are harvested in the autumn and can be stored for several months. Succeeds outdoors most years in Britain[27]. Plants are more suited to warmer climates than Britain[200] and are only really successful in good summers in this country, they do not do well in the north[86]. Most cultivars are day-length neutral[200].
This species only hybridizes with other members of the genus under controlled conditions[86, 135].
Grows well with sweetcorn, radishes and nasturtium but dislikes potatoes[18, 20].
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].

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

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic 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]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[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.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[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.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[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.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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