Cultivated Members of the Gourd Family
at Garden-Helper.com
Winter squash, summer squash, melons, pumpkins and luffa all one thing in common. They are all memebrs of the Curcurbitaceae Family. There are so many varieties and so many genus within this family that we have made this chart to keep track of them.
If you grow squash you can reference this chart as a way to help you remember which species are likely to cross polinate.
The gourd family is one of the most diverse among all vegetable families. Easy cross polination can result in a wild array of color and form of the fruits. If, for example, you cross a white bush scallop type of squash with a zucchini the second generation of this plant will yield no two fruits alike and will most likely amaze you with the vast differences in fruit from the same plant. Texture, color, shape and size will vary greatly.
Essentially any two varieties of the same species will readily cross with one another. Although it is worth an experiment to see the yielded fruits of cross polinated gourds only allow this if you have the space as typically the fruit will not harvestable for kitchen use.
Curcurbitaceae Family |
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| Genus | Species | Variety | ||
| Curcurbita | pepo |
Acorn Squash - all varieties Spaghetti Squash - all varieties Summer Squash - all varieties 'Jack O' Lantern' pumpkin 'Connecticut Field' pumpkin Vegetable Gourd |
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| maxima |
Hubbard Squash - all varieties Turban Squash - all varieties 'Big Max' pumpkin |
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| moschata |
Butternut Squash - all varieties Pumpkin - some varieties |
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| mixta | 'Green Striped Cushaw' pumpkin | |||
| Luffa | cylindrica | Dishrag gourd | ||
| Sechium | edule | Chayote | ||
| Cucumis | melo |
Cantaloupe Honeydew Melon Muskmelon Crenshaw Melon Oriental Pickling Melon Mango Melon |
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| sativus | Cucumbers - all varieties | |||
| anguria | West indian gherkin | |||
| Citrullus | vulgaris | Watermelon - all varieties | ||
| Momordica | balsamina | Balsam Apple | ||
| charantia | Balsam Pear | |||
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