Melons and Squashes

Agnes deLanvallei

 

 

Melons and squashes are plants in the cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae. This group is both Old and New World and the names have become quite confused.

 

Summary:

Squashes: The common names of the squashes are all mixed up, but all are New World. Many reached Europe very early in the 16th century: see pictures in Festoons of Cupid and Psyche 6 (link in references)

Gourds: Bottle gourd is Old World (and New World) and has many forms. Some other gourds are clearly New World species.

Melons: All are Old World but while most are Cucumis (or Citrullus) there are bitter melons and other minor species pictured in 1517 (see 6 )

Pumpkins: this group is very mixed up. Most if not all modern pumpkins are New World. The term "pompon" in French is pre-1492, however, and must refer to small melons of some sort.



Table 1. Cultivated species of Cucurbitaceae

 

COMMON NAME

Scientific Name

Origin

Comments/sources

balsam apple

Momordica dioica

India and Asia

Mostly wild 1 Pictured in 6 Italy 1517

balsam pear

Momordica charantia, see melon, bitter

 

 

calabash (gourd)

see gourd, bottle

 

 

cantaloupe

Cucumis melo

Africa2

 

2,4,5

chayote or christophine

Sechium edule

Mexico4 Central America5

1, 4, 5 Cultivated by Aztecs11,4

citron or preserving melon

Citrullus lanatus var. citroides

Africa2,4

small fruits, white flesh2,4

cococynth

Citrullus cococynthus

Africa2

Watermelon relative: seeds in Egyptian archaeological sites from 3800 BC; bitter, not cultivated. Also called bitter gourd 2

cucumber

Cucumis sativus

South-central Asia2,5

Written records of cucumbers from western Asia 1000 BC; grown in classical Greece & Rome; not to China until 2nd Century AD2,4,5

cushow, green striped

Cucurbita

argyrospermaa

S. Mexico4

3,4,5

gherkin

Cucumis anguria

Africa2,5

2,5 The name "West Indian gherkin" is misleading: came from Africa with the slave trade2

gourd, bitter

Momordica charantia See bitter melon

 

 

gourd, bottle

Lagenaria sicerariac

Tropical Africa, Madagascar1

cultivated throughout world: "gourds" 1

Earliest cultivated records: central and South America 7000 BC; Africa 2000 BC; China 1000 BC 1

gourd, figleaf;

Cucurbita ficifolia

Peru5

Known from Peru 3000-4000 BC;long cultivated Mexico to S America 5 also called Malabar gourd

gourd, Malabar

Cucurbita ficifolia

See figleaf gourd

 

 

gourd, wax

Benincasa hispida

Southern China4

Alternate names, winter melon, white gourd, white pumpkin, hairy melon, fuzzy melon; SE Asia before 600 AD1, 4 A tropical plant grown mainly in Asia; however, it travels well.

luffa

Luffa acutangula, L. cylindricad

Asia4

young fruit edible 1,4,5 Probably domesticated in India but records lacking: not reported in China until AD 618-9001; Europe-?

marrow, winter

Cucurbita maxima

S. America4

3,4,5

melon

Cucumis melo

Africa2,4,5

Earliest cultivated reference: India 2000 BC; 2 China 1000 BC2 Apparently not know in Egypt or Greece, came to Europe at end of Roman Empire5

deCandolle in 1886 --a classic work on cultivated plants --suggested "sikua" of Theophrastus and "pepon" of Dioscorides were melons, but modern writers are doubtful 2 Very varied by 1517: see pictures in 6

melon, bitter

Momordica charantia

Asia11,4, 5

1, 4? Minor melon, not much known of origins. Picture in 7 (Italy 1517) Also called balsam pear5, bitter gourd

melon, egusi

Cucumeropsis edulis, Cucumeropsis manii

West Africa5

Cultivated in West Africa for oily seeds, which are cooked 1 5

melon, honeydew

Cucumis melo

 

2,4,5

melon, pickling

Cucmis melo

 

described in China 1000-500 BC 2

melon, winter

See gourd, wax

 

 

muskmelon

Cucumis melo

 

2,4,5 described in China 1000-500 BC 2

 

 

 

 

 

pumpkin

Cucurbita

argyrospermaa,

Cucurbita ficifolia,

Cucurbita

maxima,

Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita pepo

Central and South America3,4,5

3,4,5

snake-gourd

Trichosanthes cucumerina

Asia, Australia5

Cultivated in India, Far East5

squash, acorn

Cucurbita pepo,

Cucurbita ficifolia

West Indies, S. America4

3,4,5

squash, butternut

Cucurbita moschata

Mexico or South America4

3,4,5

squash, crookneck

Cucurbita pepo

Mexico, SE US4

3,4

squash, hubbard

Cucurbita

argyrospermaa

Mexico or South America4

3,4,5

squash, ornamental

Cucurbita pepo

Mexico, SE US 4

3,4,5

squash, spaghetti

Cucurbita pepo

Mexico, SE US 4

3,4,5

squash, summer

Cucurbita pepo

SE USA, Mexico4

3,4,5

squash, turban

Cucurbita argyrosperma

Mexico or S America4

3,4,5

squash, winter

Cucurbita argyrospermaa,

Cucurbita maxima

Cucurbita moschata, Cucurbita ?pepo

SE USA to South America4

3,4,5

watermelon

Citrullus lanatus var.lanatusb

Central Africa4

Seeds in Egypt 2000 BC 2,4,5

Mediterranean region from 1000 BC. 5 Watermelons vary in size, shape (round to oblong to elliptical, color of rind (hues of green, with or without stripes or spots), color of flesh (white to red to yellow or orange) and color of seeds (white to reddish brown and black): these variant forms were recorded by the European Middle Ages2 See pictures in 6

zucchini

Cucurbita pepo

Mexico4

2,4,5

 

NOTES

a Cucurbita mixta is an outdated name of Cucurbita argyrosperma

b Citrullus vulgaris is an outdated scientific name for Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus, watermelon5

c Lagenaria vulgaris and L. leucantha are outdated scientific names for bottle gourd, L. siceraria1

d Luffa aegyptica is an outdated scientific name for luffa, L. cylindrica1

 

Earliest archaelogical finding (domestication) of: Cucurbita argyrosperma 5000 BC Mexico3; Cucurbita ficifolia, Peru 1000 BC3; Cucurbita maxima: Peru, 2000 BC3 ;Cucurbita moschata 4900 BC, southern Mexico3; Cucurbita pepo, southern Mexico 8000 BC3.

 

 

References

 

1Bates, David M., Laura C. Merrick, and Richard W. Robertson. 1995. Minor cucurbits. Pp. 105-111 IN: J. Smartt and N. W. Simmonds. Evolution of Crop Plants. 2nd ed. Longman Scientific and Technical, London.

 

2Bates, David M. and Richard W. Robertson. 1995. Cucumbers, melons and water-melons. Pp. 89-96 IN: J. Smartt and N. W. Simmonds. Evolution of Crop Plants. 2nd ed. Longman Scientific and Technical, London.

 

3Merrick, Laura C. 1995. Squashes, pumpkins and gourds. Pp. 97-105 IN: J. Smartt and N. W. Simmonds. Evolution of Crop Plants. 2nd ed. Longman Scientific and Technical, London.

 

4Simpson, Beryl B. and Molly C. Ogorzaly. 2001. Economic botany. Plants in our world. 3rd ed. McGraw Hill-Boston.

 

5Vaughan, J. G. and C. A. Geissler. 1997. The new Oxford book of food plants. Oxford University Press, Oxford U.K.

 

6Whipkey, Anna and Jules Janick 2005. The festoons of the Cupid and Psyche in the Loggia in the Villa Farnesina. An interactive database http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/udine/info.html

 

 

 

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