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 |
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, [1] and is found protected in the Machalilla National Park. [1]