Cucurbita moschata Duchesne
EOL Text
Cucurbita moschata Duchesne ex Poir.
Bejuco herbáceo, rastrero o trepador mediante zarcillos axilares, de 5-10 m de largo. Tallos ramificados desde la base y a lo largo de los tallos principales, flexible, angulosos, pubescentes con pelos suaves o poco rígidos, alargados, no punzantes; zarcillos con 4 ramificaciones, pelosos, más cortos que el pecíolo. Hojas alternas; láminas 15-25 × 15-25 cm, anchamente ovadas, levemente lobadas, los lóbulos obtusos, el ápice obtuso, la base cordiforme o hastada, los márgenes finamente aserrados; haz puberulento, usualmente con manchas blancuzcas irregulares; envés corto-pubescente, con la nervación prominente; pecíolos 11-39 cm de largo, estriados, puberulentos a densamente pubescentes con pelos unicelulares entremezclados con tricomas multicelulares. Flores solitarias; cáliz campanulado, verde amarillento, 3.5-4 cm de largo, hirsuto, los lóbulos lineares a oblongos, 2.5-3 cm de largo; corola amarillo brillante, campanulada, 7-9 cm de largo, los lóbulos obtusos, revolutos; pedúnculo grueso, angular, sulcado. Baya variable, blanda o dura, depreso-globosa a globosa, verde, tornándose amarillenta al madurar, 25-30 cm de largo; mesocarpo anaranjado, carnoso, grueso; semillas numerosas, elípticas, 1.5-2 cm de largo, crema a castaño claro.
Fenología: Florece y fructifica todo el año.
Estatus: Exótica, cultivada y naturalizada, común.
Comentario: En Puerto Rico se han informado otras dos especies de Cucurbita (C. pepo L. y C. maxima Duchesne ex Lam.), sin embargo, éstas son rara vez cultivadas y no se encuentran naturalizadas en Puerto Rico (comentarios personales: Dra. Linda Beaver, Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez).
Butternut Squash
Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata), also known in Australia and New Zealand as Butternut pumpkin, is a type of winter squash. It has a sweet, nutty taste similar to that of a pumpkin. It has yellow skin and orange fleshy pulp. When ripe, it turns increasingly deep orange, and becomes sweeter and richer. It grows on a vine. The most popular variety, the Waltham Butternut, originated in Stow, Massachusetts.
Uses
Butternut squash is a fruit that can be roasted and toasted and also be puréed (to make a soup) or mashed into soups, casseroles, breads, and muffins.
In Australia it is regarded as a pumpkin, and used interchangeably with other types of pumpkin.
It is also commonly used in South Africa. It is often used in soup or can be cooked on a grill. Grilled butternut is normally either seasoned with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon or the de-seeded centre stuffed with other vegetables for example Spinach and Feta before wrapped in foil and then grilled. The grilled butternut is often served as a side dish to “braai's” (barbecues) and the soup as a starter dish.
It is a good source of fibre, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. It is also an excellent source of vitamin A.
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Wikispecies has information related to: Cucurbita moschata |
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 188 kJ (45 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 11.69 g |
| Sugars | 2.20 g |
| Dietary fiber | 2.0 g |
| Fat | .10 g |
| Protein | 1.0 g |
| Vitamin A equiv. | 532 μg (59%) |
| - beta-carotene | 4226 μg (39%) |
| Thiamine (Vit. B1) | .10 mg (8%) |
| Riboflavin (Vit. B2) | .02 mg (1%) |
| Niacin (Vit. B3) | 1.20 mg (8%) |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | .40 mg (8%) |
| Vitamin B6 | .154 mg (12%) |
| Folate (Vit. B9) | 27 μg (7%) |
| Vitamin C | 21.0 mg (35%) |
| Calcium | 48 mg (5%) |
| Iron | .70 mg (6%) |
| Magnesium | 34 mg (9%) |
| Phosphorus | 33 mg (5%) |
| Potassium | 352 mg (7%) |
| Zinc | .15 mg (1%) |
| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database |
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Preparation, precautions, allergic reactions
The fruit is prepared by removing the skin, stalk and seeds, which are not usually eaten or cooked.[1] However, the seeds are edible, either raw or roasted and the skin is also edible and softens when roasted. One of the most common ways to prepare butternut squash is roasting. To do this, the squash is cut in half lengthwise, lightly brushed with cooking oil, and placed cut side down on a baking sheet. It is then baked for 45 minutes or until it is softened. Once roasted, it can be eaten in a variety of ways as outlined above. [2]
References
- ^ "Butternut Squash". Veg Box Recipes. 2008. http://vegbox-recipes.co.uk/ingredients/butternut-squash.php. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ "Mashed Butternut Squash". theveggielife.com recipes. 2009. http://www.theveggielife.com/mashed-butternut-squash.html. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
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| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
| Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Butternut_squash&oldid=409064269 |
Cucurbita moschata Duchesne ex Poir., Dict. Sci. Nat. 11: 234. 1818.
Herbaceous vine, creeping or climbing by axillary tendrils, 5-10 m in length. Stems branched from the base and along the main stems, flexible, angular, pubescent with soft or slightly rigid hairs, elongate, not pungent; tendrils with 4 branches, pilose, shorter than the petiole. Leaves alternate; blades 15-25 × 15-25 cm, broadly ovate, slightly lobed, the lobes obtuse, the apex obtuse, the base cordiform or hastate, the margins finely serrate; upper surface puberulous, usually with irregular whitish spots; lower surface shortpubescent, with prominent venation; petioles 11-39 cm long, striate, puberulous to densely pubescent, with unicelular hairs intermingled with multicellular trichomes. Flowers solitary; calyx campanulate, yellowish green, 3.5-4 cm long, hirsute, the lobes linear to oblong, 2.5-3 cm long; corolla brilliant yellow, campanulate, 7-9 cm long, the lobes obtuse, revolute; peduncle thick, angular, sulcate. Berry variable, soft or hard, depressedglobose to globose, green, turning yellowish when ripe, 25-30 cm long; mesocarp orange, fleshy, thick; seeds numerous, elliptical, 1.5-2 cm long, cream-colored to light brown.
Phenology: Flowering and fruiting throughout the year.
Status: Exotic, cultivated and naturalized, common.
Commentary: In Puerto Rico two other species of Cucurbita (C. pepo L. and C. maxima Duchesne ex Lam.) have been reported; nevertheless, these are rarely cultivated and are not found naturalized in Puerto Rico (pers. comm. Dr. Linda Beaver, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus).
French Guiana: giraumont.
"Prostrate; internodes to 10 cm, scabrous. Leaves 5-7-lobed, 16 x 24 cm, velvety, lobes acute; petiole to 15 cm; tendrils branched. Calyx-tube 5 mm; lobes 3, foliaceous. Corolla campanulate, pale yellow, 8 cm wide; lobes acute, reflexed. Stamens 3, inserted after base of calyx-tube; filaments basally swollen, glandular, 8 mm; anthers 15 mm, connate into a column. Pistillate, solitary. Calyx-lobes to 3 cm. Corolla as in staminate. Fruit oblong, contracted in the middle; peduncle to 6 cm, angled; seeds numerous, to 12 x 8 mm."
Habit: Climber
Cucurbita moschata, which encompasses various cultivars of pumpkin and winter squash, is a plant species in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) cultivated in warm areas around the world as food and animal fodder. Popular cultivars include butternut, winter crookneck, and cushaw, and numerous types developed in Japan and China.
The names “winter squash” and “pumpkin” are also applied to the cultivars of C. maxima, C. mixta and C. pepo. Because the common names are used to refer to several different species, and those species may also have other common names, it can be difficult to ascertain which varieties are derived from which species. In the U.S., cultivars with round, orange fruits are generally referred to as pumpkins, while fruits with other shapes and colors are called winter squashes, regardless of the species.
C. moschata likely originated in Mexico and Central America, and was already widely cultivated in North and South America before the arrival of Europeans. Archaeologists have found evidence of C. moschata in Peruvian sites dated from 4,000–3,000 B.C., and in Mexican sites from 1440–400 B.C., suggesting a long history of domestication and cultivation.
C. moschata is better adapted to hot, humid climates than C. pepo and C. maxima, and is resistant to squash vine borers, Melittia cucurbitae, so these varieties are popular for cultivation in the southeastern U.S. A C. moschata variety, the Dickenson field pumpkin, is the dominant source of canned pumpkin (and, therefore, pumpkin pies) in the U.S. However, giant pumpkins, with fruits weighing over 45 kg (100 pounds) come from cultivars of C. maxima.
C. moschata plants are frost-intolerant monoecious annuals. Stems are hairless or soft hairy, trailing or climbing vines growing to 3 meters. Leaves are simple, alternate, and shallowly lobed, often with white spots along the veins. The peduncle (stem that holds the fruit) is five-angled and flares outward where attached to the fruit. Fruits (technically referred to as pepos) are relatively large, with shapes ranging from globose to oblong to flattened. Seeds are 16–20 mm long.
Winter squashes and pumpkins, which are low in calories and high in fiber and vitamin A, are usually eaten as a vegetable, in purees, soups, or pies. Seeds are high in protein, oil, and minerals, and are eaten raw, toasted, or pressed to make oil. Male flowers are coated with breading or batter and made into fritters. In South America, tips of young vines are boiled and eaten.
C. moschata has numerous traditional medicinal uses in South and Central America. Seeds are toasted and eaten to kill worms and other intestinal parasites and used as a diuretic; a preparation from the flowers has been used to treat measles and smallpox. Pumpkin seeds are sometimes used as a natural worming agent for sheep and goats by organic farmers, but their efficacy has not been clearly demonstrated.
World production of pumpkins, squashes, and gourds (across all species of Cucurbitaceae) was 22.1 million tons harvested from 1.7 million hectares in 2009, valued at $5.2 billion U.S. dollars. Leading producers were China, Russia, India, the U.S., and Egypt.
(Ecocrop 2011, FAOSTAT 2011, Hui 2006, NRC 1989, Schoenian 2011, Schultes 1990, Whittaker and Davis 1962)
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Jacqueline Courteau, Jacqueline Courteau |
| Source | No source database. |
"Notes: Plains to Low Altitude, Cultivated, Native of Tropical America"
In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
Golovinomyces orontii parasitises live Cucurbita moschata