Winter Squash Cucurbita
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Winter Squash:
- Phonetic Spelling
- koo-KER-bih-ta
- Description
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Cucurbita is a genus of annual, warm-season, vining plants in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae) native to North and South America. It includes commonly cultivated vegetables (although botanical terms, they are fruit) such as summer and winter squashes, pumpkins, zucchini, and ornamental gourds. Their size varies with the cultivar, from 1 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 25 feet wide or long.
These plants require full sun. Being an annual crop, they will also require regular irrigation and moist, well-drained, organically rich soil. Give them sufficient space to provide good air circulation.
Plant them in small groups or mass plantings and site them in vertical spaces or in edible or children’s gardens.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Cucurbits are affected by many pests, including cabbage looper, corn earworm, cucumber beetle, melonworm, pickleworm, greenhouse whitefly, melon aphid, squash bug, thrips, twospotted spider mite, seedcorn maggot, squash vine borer, and vegetable leafminer. Diseases include cucurbit downy and powdery mildews, gummy stem blight, and anthracnose.
VIDEO* Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
*in the video the male and female flowers are swapped. The female flower is presented first, the male flower second.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- C. argyrosperma, C. ficifolia, C. maxima, C. moschata, C. pepo
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- C. argyrosperma, C. ficifolia, C. maxima, C. moschata, C. pepo
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Cucurbita
- Family:
- Cucurbitaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- North and South America
- Climbing Method:
- Tendrils
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Edible
- Vegetable
- Vine
- Warm Season Vegetable
- Habit/Form:
- Climbing
- Creeping
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Tendrils
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- 3 feet-6 feet
- 6-feet-12 feet
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Black
- Blue
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Gray/Silver
- Green
- Orange
- Pink
- Red/Burgundy
- Variegated
- White
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Long-lasting
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- A type of berry called a pepo that has a hard rind. Fruits may be long or round, large or small, smooth or warty. Some species and cultivars are edible and some are not; among the edible ones, both fruit and seeds are edible.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- White
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Funnel
- Star
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- 3-6 inches
- Flower Description:
- Large yellow or white flowers with five petals. Most often monoecious, though some species are diecious.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Prickly
- Leaf Type:
- Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Palmatifid
- Peltate
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Large, alternate leaves, sometimes reaching a foot in diameter. Palmate lobing and veining.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Vertical Spaces
- Landscape Theme:
- Children's Garden
- Edible Garden
- Design Feature:
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
