Cucurbita ficifolia
Encyclopedia
Cucurbita ficifolia is a type of squash grown for its edible seed
s, fruit
, and greens. Although it is closely related to other squashes in its genus, it shows considerable biochemical difference from them and does not hybridize readily with them.
species, it is a climbing vine that is an annual
in temperate climates and a perennial in tropical zones. The plant stem can grow five to fifteen meters and produces tendrils that help it climb adjacent plants and structures. The vine
can become semiwoody if left to grow perennially, although most commercial plants are annual. Its leaves resemble fig leaves, hence its most common name in English - fig-leaf gourd - and its Latin species name (C. ficifolia which means fig leaf).
The flowers are monoecious (meaning its flowers are either male or female but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by insects, especially bees. The color is yellow to orange.
The fruit is oblong with a diameter of eight inches or 20 centimeters, weighs eleven to 13 pounds (5 to 6 kilograms), and can produce up to 500 seeds. Its skin can vary from light or dark green to cream. One plant can produce over 50 fruits.
, although the exact center of domestication
is unclear.
Linguistic evidence suggests Mexico
, because of the wide use of names based on the Nahuatl
name "chilacayohtli" as far south as Argentina
. However, archaeological evidence suggests Peru
because the earliest remains have been found there. Biosystematics has been unable to confirm either hypothesis.
Archeological records show that it was the most widespread variety of Cucurbita in the Americas, cultivated from northern Chile and Argentina to Mexico. Now it is grown as far north as southern California. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans introduced it to the Mediterranean regions of Europe (specifically France and Portugal) as well as India. From there it has spread to many other parts of the world and picked up more names.
- and protein
-rich seed
s, which can vary in color from white to black. They are used in Mexico to make palanquetas, a sweet similar to peanut brittle
.
The fruit
has several uses as food. The immature fruit is eaten cooked, while the mature fruit is sweet and used to make confectionery
and beverages, sometimes alcoholic
. The fruit is low in beta-carotene
—as can be seen from its white flesh, relatively low in vitamin
s and mineral
s, and moderately high in carbohydrate
s.
In Portugal
, where the fruit is known as "chila" or "gila," it is still used extensively in the production of traditional Portuguese sweets and confectionery. In Catalonia, a sweet is made from the fruit known as "cabell d'àngel
." In Chile
, marmalade is often made out of the fruit of "alcayota". In Costa Rica
, it is traditional to make empanada
s stuffed with sugar
ed "chiverre" filling at Easter
time. In Asia the pulp strands are used to make soup, quite similar to shark fin soup
, hence the name shark fin melon. The cultivation and this usage feature briefly in the film Grow Your Own
. Across Asia eating this melon is also said to help people with diabetes. Several scientific studies have confirmed its hypoglycemic effect.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8D-43KGST4-H&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=cb9f804bf3ea2efba0f4ca47abd50833
The flower
s, leaves
and young shoot
s are used as greens.
The vine and fruit are used for fodder
.
In Asia it is used effectively to treat diabetes due to its high D-Chiro-Inositol content. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17132216?log$=activity
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, and greens. Although it is closely related to other squashes in its genus, it shows considerable biochemical difference from them and does not hybridize readily with them.
Common names
- Chilacayote (in Mexico and parts of Central America)
- Chiverre (in Costa Rica)
- Asian pumpkin
- Calabaza china (Cuba)
- fig-leaf gourd (also fig-leafed or fig-leaved gourd)
- Malabar gourd or squash
- pie melon (in Australia and New Zealand)
- shark fin melon (in Asia)
- Siam pumpkin
- Thai marrow
- sambo (in Ecuador)
- cayote (in Argentina)
- chila or gila (in Portugal)
- calabaza de cabello de angel (in Spain)
- potiron cheveux d'ange (in France)
- thin vermicelli pumpkin
- Alcayota (in Chile)
Description
Like most members of the CucurbitaCucurbita
Cucurbita is a genus in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae first cultivated in Mesoamerica and now used in many parts of the world. It includes species grown for their fruit and edible seeds , as well as some species grown only as gourds...
species, it is a climbing vine that is an annual
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
in temperate climates and a perennial in tropical zones. The plant stem can grow five to fifteen meters and produces tendrils that help it climb adjacent plants and structures. The vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
can become semiwoody if left to grow perennially, although most commercial plants are annual. Its leaves resemble fig leaves, hence its most common name in English - fig-leaf gourd - and its Latin species name (C. ficifolia which means fig leaf).
The flowers are monoecious (meaning its flowers are either male or female but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by insects, especially bees. The color is yellow to orange.
The fruit is oblong with a diameter of eight inches or 20 centimeters, weighs eleven to 13 pounds (5 to 6 kilograms), and can produce up to 500 seeds. Its skin can vary from light or dark green to cream. One plant can produce over 50 fruits.
Origin and distribution
It is native to the AmericasAmericas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, although the exact center of domestication
Domestication
Domestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...
is unclear.
Linguistic evidence suggests Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, because of the wide use of names based on the Nahuatl
Nahuatl
Nahuatl is thought to mean "a good, clear sound" This language name has several spellings, among them náhuatl , Naoatl, Nauatl, Nahuatl, Nawatl. In a back formation from the name of the language, the ethnic group of Nahuatl speakers are called Nahua...
name "chilacayohtli" as far south as Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. However, archaeological evidence suggests Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
because the earliest remains have been found there. Biosystematics has been unable to confirm either hypothesis.
Archeological records show that it was the most widespread variety of Cucurbita in the Americas, cultivated from northern Chile and Argentina to Mexico. Now it is grown as far north as southern California. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans introduced it to the Mediterranean regions of Europe (specifically France and Portugal) as well as India. From there it has spread to many other parts of the world and picked up more names.
Cultivation
Nowadays, Cucurbita ficifolia is the least cultivated of the Cucurbita species. The natural range of fig-leaf gourd areas altitudes of 1,000 to 3,000 meters that have heavy rains. However, it is grown successfully in other climates, probably due to its hardy root system and resistance to viruses. In fact it is often used to graft other less resistant squash varieties. However, fig-leaf gourd can only be propagated through planting seeds. It is not resistant to frosts and so should be planted after the risk of frost has passed.Uses
The flowers and tender shoots are used in Mexico and other countries as greens. The most nutritional part of Cucurbita ficifolia is its fatFat
Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and generally insoluble in water. Chemically, fats are triglycerides, triesters of glycerol and any of several fatty acids. Fats may be either solid or liquid at room temperature, depending on their structure...
- and protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
-rich seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s, which can vary in color from white to black. They are used in Mexico to make palanquetas, a sweet similar to peanut brittle
Brittle (food)
Brittle is a type of confection, consisting of flat broken pieces of hard sugar candy embedded with nuts such as pecans, almonds, or peanuts....
.
The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
has several uses as food. The immature fruit is eaten cooked, while the mature fruit is sweet and used to make confectionery
Confectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
and beverages, sometimes alcoholic
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
. The fruit is low in beta-carotene
Beta-carotene
β-Carotene is a strongly-coloured red-orange pigment abundant in plants and fruits. It is an organic compound and chemically is classified as a hydrocarbon and specifically as a terpenoid , reflecting its derivation from isoprene units...
—as can be seen from its white flesh, relatively low in vitamin
Vitamin
A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism. In other words, an organic chemical compound is called a vitamin when it cannot be synthesized in sufficient quantities by an organism, and must be obtained from the diet. Thus, the term is conditional both on...
s and mineral
Dietary mineral
Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen present in common organic molecules. Examples of mineral elements include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, zinc, and iodine...
s, and moderately high in carbohydrate
Carbohydrate
A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula ; that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 . However, there are exceptions to this. One common example would be deoxyribose, a component of DNA, which has the empirical...
s.
In Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, where the fruit is known as "chila" or "gila," it is still used extensively in the production of traditional Portuguese sweets and confectionery. In Catalonia, a sweet is made from the fruit known as "cabell d'àngel
Cabell d'àngel
Cabell d'àngel is a transparent threaded jam made from Siam pumpkin pulp and white sugar. It originated in Mallorca but its use has spread to the rest of Spain and some countries in the Americas.-Uses:...
." In Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, marmalade is often made out of the fruit of "alcayota". In Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, it is traditional to make empanada
Empanada
An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in Latin America, Southern Europe and parts of Southeast Asia. The name comes from the verb empanar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread. Empanada is made by folding a dough or bread patty around the stuffing...
s stuffed with sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
ed "chiverre" filling at Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
time. In Asia the pulp strands are used to make soup, quite similar to shark fin soup
Shark fin soup
Shark fin soup is a popular soup item of Chinese cuisine usually served at special occasions such as weddings and banquets, or as a luxury item in Chinese culture. The shark fins provide texture while the taste comes from the other soup ingredients.There is controversy over the practice of shark...
, hence the name shark fin melon. The cultivation and this usage feature briefly in the film Grow Your Own
Grow Your Own (film)
Grow Your Own is a 2007 British comedy film directed by Richard Laxton, and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Carl Hunter. It stars Benedict Wong, John Henshaw, Eddie Marsan, Pierce Quigley, Omid Djalili, Alan Williams, Philip Jackson, and Olivia Colman...
. Across Asia eating this melon is also said to help people with diabetes. Several scientific studies have confirmed its hypoglycemic effect.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8D-43KGST4-H&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=cb9f804bf3ea2efba0f4ca47abd50833
The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s, leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
and young shoot
Shoot
Shoots are new plant growth, they can include stems, flowering stems with flower buds, and leaves. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop...
s are used as greens.
The vine and fruit are used for fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
.
In Asia it is used effectively to treat diabetes due to its high D-Chiro-Inositol content. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17132216?log$=activity
External links
- Hypoglycemic action of Cucurbita ficifolia on Type 2 diabetic patients with moderately high blood glucose levels http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T8D-43KGST4-H&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=cb9f804bf3ea2efba0f4ca47abd50833
- Neglected crops: 1492 from a different perspective (ch 10)