Cucurbita ecuadorensis
| Cucurbita ecuadorensis | |
|---|---|
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| Mature fruit and cut showing pulp and seeds. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Cucurbita |
| Species: | C. ecuadorensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Cucurbita ecuadorensis H.C.Cutler & Whitaker[1][2] | |
Cucurbita ecuadorensis is a species of squash, discovered in 1965 growing wild in Ecuador.[3] Like most wild gourds and squashes, it is creeping vine and is often found climbing over other vegetation.[1] It has been found only in the western provinces of Guayas and Manabi.[4] There is evidence that it was domesticated in Ecuador around 10,000 years ago, likely for its seeds, but no direct records exist and it is no longer cultivated.[5] It is resistant to many diseases of cultivated Cucurbita species,[6] and has been used to breed resistance to several diseases into common squashes.[7] For example, researchers at Cornell University used Cucurbita ecuadorensis to breed resistance to papaya ringspot virus, watermelon mosaic virus, and powdery mildew, into common Cucurbita maxima cultivars.[7] Cucurbita ecuadorensis is listed on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable,[1] and is found protected in the Machalilla National Park.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Cucurbita ecuadorensis". IUCN Red List. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ↑ Cutler, Hugh C.; Whitaker, Thomas W. (1968). "A New Species of Cucurbita From Ecuador". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 55 (3): 392–396. doi:10.2307/2395132.
- ↑ Cutler, Hugh C.; Whitaker, Thomas W. (1968). "A New Species of Cucurbita from Ecuador". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Missouri Botanical Garden Press. 55 (3): 392. doi:10.2307/2395132. JSTOR 2395132.
- ↑ Cucurbita ecuadorensis information from the USDA Germplasm Resources Information Network
- ↑ Hancock, James (2012). Plant evolution and the origin of crop species. Oxfordshire: CAB International. p. 237. ISBN 9780851998749.
- ↑ R. Dumas de Vaulx and M. Pitrat. "Realization of the Interspecific Hybridization (F1 and BC1) Between Cucurbita pepo and C. ecuadorensis". North Carolina State University. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- 1 2 Cole, Chittaranjan (2012). Genetics Genomics and Breeding of Cucurbits. Clemson, South Carolina, USA: Science Publishers. p. 40. ISBN 9781578087662.
External links
| External identifiers for Cucurbita ecuadorensis | |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Life | 5734185 |
