Cucurbita ecuadorensis is a species of squash, described in 1965 as growing wild in Ecuador.[3] Like most wild gourds and squashes, it is a creeping vine and is often found climbing over other vegetation.[1] It has been found only in the western provinces of Guayas and Manabí.[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 and is found protected in the Machalilla National Park.[1]
| Cucurbita ecuadorensis | |
|---|---|
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| Mature fruit and cut showing pulp and seeds. | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Cucurbita |
| Species: | C. ecuadorensis
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| Binomial name | |
| Cucurbita ecuadorensis | |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Santiana, J.; Pitman, N. (2004). "Cucurbita ecuadorensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T45122A10982003. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T45122A10982003.en. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ 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. JSTOR 2395132.
- ^ Cutler, Hugh C.; Whitaker, Thomas W. (1968). "A New Species of Cucurbita from Ecuador". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 55 (3). Missouri Botanical Garden Press: 392. doi:10.2307/2395132. JSTOR 2395132.
- ^ "Cucurbita ecuadorensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ 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. Archived from the original on September 6, 2006. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ a b Cole, Chittaranjan (2012). Genetics Genomics and Breeding of Cucurbits. Clemson, South Carolina, USA: Science Publishers. p. 40. ISBN 9781578087662.
External links
edit- "Cucurbita ecuadorensis". The Encyclopedia of Life.
- Preserved specimen at the Field Museum of Natural History
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