name: Cucurbita
flavor_db_name_variants: cucurbita
source: foodb
status: draft
food_db_id: Cucurbita
id: 66
name_scientific: Cucurbita
description: Cucurbita (Latin for gourd) is a genus in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae native to and originally cultivated in the Andes and Mesoamerica. The Cucurbita genus is an important source of human food and is used for other purposes such as beverages, medicine, oil, and detergent. Some Cucurbita species were brought to Europe after the discovery of America and are now used in many parts of the world. The plants, referred to as squash, pumpkin or gourd depending on species, variety and local parlance, are grown for their edible fruits and seeds. Real (bottle-)gourds, used as utensils or vessels, belong to the genus Lagenaria and are native to Africa. Lagenaria are in the same family and subfamily as Cucurbita, but different tribes.
itis_id: 22365
wikipedia_id: Cucurbita
picture_file_name: 66.jpg
picture_content_type: image/jpeg
picture_file_size: 68015
picture_updated_at: 2012-04-20T09:30:13.000Z
legacy_id: 72
food_group: Gourds
food_subgroup: Gourds
food_type: Type 1
created_at: 2011-02-09T00:37:18.000Z
updated_at: 2019-05-14T18:04:15.000Z
creator_id: null
updater_id: null
export_to_afcdb: false
category: specific
ncbi_taxonomy_id: 3660
export_to_foodb: true
public_id: FOOD00066