Common Name: Winter Squash

General Information

Cucurbita maxima is a vigorous annual, climbing plant producing stems up to 5 metres long that tend to scramble along the ground, but can grow into the surrounding vegetation and support themselves by means of tendrils.
The plant is widely cultivated from the warm temperate zone to the tropics, mainly for its edible fruit but also for its leaves and seed plus its various medicinal uses.

Known Hazards

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[].

Botanical References

Range

The species is not known in the wild, it was derived in cultivation from Cucurbita andreana Naudin (now Cucurbita maxima subsp andreana Filov)

Habitat

Not known in the wild.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual Climber
Height	0.60 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated

Cultivation Details

Most cultivars of Cucurbita maxima are relatively insensitive to day-length[], and so the plant can be grown from the temperate zone to the tropics so long as there is a warm growing season of at least 150 days. It can be grown at elevations up to 2,000 metres in the tropics. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 30°c, but can tolerate 9 - 38°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of 0°c or lower. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 1,000mm, but tolerates 450 - 2,700mm[].
Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a sheltered position in the sun or light shade[, , ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 to 7.5, but tolerates 5 - 8.5[, ]. Dry periods with a relatively low humidity favour the best growth - plants are more susceptible to leaf diseases in damp seasons[, ].
Fruits may be harvested 80 - 140 days from sowing or planting[].
Yields vary according to variety grown, but with good care, a yield of 15 tonnes per hectare is reasonable, and with improved cultivars a yield of 30 tonnes is possible[]. Excessive picking of the young leaves and shoots reduces fruit yield[].
Seed yield is variable, possibly 300 - 500 kilos per hectare[].
This species can only be crossed with most other species in the genus under controlled conditions[, ].
The wild ancestor of Cucurbita maxima, treated here as Cucurbita maxima andreana Filov, has bitter-tasting fruits and leaves and is not usually eaten. However, it has a number of medicinal uses and so is treated in more detail on a separate record[].
There are three major species in this genus that are cultivated for their fruits (Cucurbita maxima, Cucurbita moschata and Cucurbita pepo), and they are often not easy to distinguish. The plant habit is similar and the fruit shape and size within each species are variable. Distinction is easiest by observing differences of the fruit stalk, stems and leaves:-
Cucurbita maxima has a soft, rounded fruit stalk not enlarged at the apex, soft, rounded stems and soft, usually unlobed leaves[].
Cucurbita moschata has a hard, smoothly angled fruit stalk widened at the apex, hard, smoothly grooved stems and soft, moderately lobed leaves[].
Cucurbita pepo has an angular fruit stalk sometimes slightly widened at the apex, hard, angular, grooved, prickly stems and palmately lobed, often deeply cut and prickly leaves[].
Most of the winter squashes derive from Cucurbita maxima, including Hubbard, Butternut, Acorn, Argentine and Boston[]. Most cultivars are relatively insensitive to day-length[].
This species hybridizes readily with Cucurbita andreana (sometimes seen as a subspecies of this species) but can only be crossed with other species under controlled conditions[, ].


This species hybridizes readily with C. andreana but can only be crossed with other species under controlled conditions[, ]. Some modern works see C. andreana as being no more than a subspecies of this species, classifying it as C. maxima andreana (Naudin.)Filov.
Grows well with sweetcorn and thornapple but dislikes potatoes[, ].

Edible Uses

Fruit - cooked[, , , ]. A delicious flavour when baked, rather like a sweet potato[]. The flesh can be dried, ground into a powder and used with cereals in making bread, cakes etc[, ]. Some varieties can be stored for up to 9 months. The fruits are normally large, weighing 4 - 5 kilos each, with some forms weighing 40 kilos or more. They vary considerably in shape, being round or oblong, covered with small raised spots, and the rind soft or hard[].

Seed - raw or cooked[, , ]. Rich in oil with a very pleasant nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[]. The seed can also be ground into a powder and used with cereals in making breads etc[].

An oil is obtained from the seed[, ].

Young flowers - raw or cooked[, , ]. They are often dipped in batter and fried.

Young leaves and stems - cooked[, ]. The leaves contain up to 5% protein[].

Medicinal

The seeds are diuretic, tonic and vermifuge[, , ]. The complete seed, together with the husk, is used as a vermifuge. This is ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purgative afterwards in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body[]. As a remedy for internal parasites, the seeds are less potent than the root of Dryopteris felix-mas, but they are safer for pregnant women, debilitated patients and children[].

The oil from the seed is used as a nerve tonic[].
Great healing qualities for skin problems such as sores and ulcers are attributed to pumpkin seed oil in N. America[].

The flowers are used topically to soothe minor injuries[].

The fruit pulp is used as a soothing poultice on burns, inflammations and boils[].

A paste made from the fruit stalks is used to heal boils and earache[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant grows well with sweetcorn and thornapple but dislikes potatoes[, ].

Other Uses

The seed contains 34 - 54% of a semi-drying oil[, ]. Used for lighting[].

A nourishing face-mask can be made from the fruit that is effective for dry skins[].

The dried fruit shells can be used for making bowls etc[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early to mid spring in a greenhouse in a rich soil. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin out to the best plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts, giving them cloche or frame protection for at least their first few weeks if you are trying them outdoors.