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Summer Squash: History, Diversity, and Distribution

Summer Squash: History, Diversity, and Distribution

squash may have been consumed ini- tially. To this day, that appear to have been harvested between 1 and 2 weeks after anthesis can be found in markets in . are picked when they are shiny, up to 1 week after anthesis. Dull fruit are generally unsal- able. Although summer squash can be harvested over a wide range of sizes, from <50 g to >400 g, the acceptable size range is a function of the market demand, which is in turn a function of the interaction of fruit shape with the preferred methods of culinary prepara- tion used by the consumers of the ummer squash are the ed- region. The acceptable size range can Summer Squash: ible young (several days past be quite narrow, and it differs among History, S anthesis) fruit of markets. pepo, a highly diverse species. An easy- Cucurbita, a New World genus Diversity, and to-grow, short-season crop, summer (Whitaker, 1947) of the family, squash is adapted to temperate and , contains five cultivated Distribution subtropical and is grown in species. is the most many regions. According to FAO sta- diverse of these species, consisting of tistics (Fruit and Markets, wild forms in the United States and Harry S. Paris1 1992), the worldwide production of Mexico previously classified as sepa- summer squash exceeded 6,300,000 rate species, C. texana Gray and C. metric tons per annum during the late fraterna Bailey, respectively, as well as 1980s. More recent figures from a many of the and ornamental Additional index words. , , Cucurbita pepo variety of regional and local reports , the , and summer indicate that production and per capita squash. Summary. Summer squash (Cucurbita consumption of summer squash have Various terms have been used in- pepo L.) is grown in many temperate risen sharply during the past decade. terchangeably for the many forms of and subtropical regions, ranking high Not only has the cultivation of sum- C. pepo, but the uses of these terms in economic importance among mer squash expanded markedly in often have not been faithful to the vegetable crops worldwide. A native of countries in which the crop is familiar, original meanings. This has resulted in North America, summer squash has it also has spread to regions where some confusion, which hopefully can been grown in Europe since the heretofore summer squash was either a be reduced or resolved here. Renaissance. There are six extant minor crop or not grown. While the The term pumpkin is rooted in a horticultural groups of summer squash: cocozelle, crookneck, scallop, United States and Mexico, the two Greek and Latin word for a large, straightneck, vegetable marrow, and countries to which C. pepo is native, are round fruit, whereas squash comes from . Most of these groups have two of the largest producers of sum- the plural form of a native North Ameri- existed for hundreds of years. Their mer squash, the countries of the Medi- can word for something immature or differing fruit shapes result in their terranean and Middle East, led by Tur- incomplete. Therefore, the term pump- differential adaptations to various key, , and , are responsible kin is to be applied to edible Cucurbita methods of culinary preparation. for one-third of the world’s produc- fruit that are round or nearly round Differences in flavor, while often tion. A conservative estimate of the (spherical, oval, obovate, globe, flat subtle, are readily apparent in some worldwide value of the summer squash globe, oblate, flat oblate, etc.), whereas instances. The groups differ in geo- crop is several billion dollars annually, the term squash should be applied to graphical distribution and economic therefore, summer squash ranks high edible Cucurbita fruit deviating greatly importance. The zucchini group, a relatively recent development, has in economic importance among veg- from roundness. With the exceptions undergone intensive breeding in the etable crops. described later, pumpkins almost al- United States and Europe and is The immature fruit of various ways are consumed when mature. All probably by far the most widely grown cucurbits have been used for culinary C. pepo squash, except for acorn squash and economically important of the purposes indifferent parts of the world. and a few unique cultivars such as summer squash. Consumption of immature C. pepo fruit ‘Delicata’, are consumed when imma- was probably not the first use of this ture. 1Department of Vegetable Crops, Agricultural Research Organization, Newe Ya’ar Research Center, P.O. Box species when it was domesticated thou- The term zucchini is the diminu- 90000, Haifa 31-900, Israel. sands of years ago. Nonetheless, the tive plural of the Italian zucca for pump- Contribution no. 1597-E from the Agricultural Research culinary use of young C. pepo fruit is an kin, squash, or gourd. Zucchini ap- Organization, Bet Dagan, Israel. The cost of publishing this ancient practice (Cutler and Whitaker, plies to cylindrically shaped fruit, simi- paper was defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. Under postal regulations, this paper therefore must be hereby 1961). Fruit larger and more mature lar to those of the original cultivars marked advertisement solely to indicate this fact. than those we refer to today as summer bearing the name zucchini (Tapley et

6 HortTechnology · Jan./Mar. 1996 6(1) Table 1. Extant horticultural groups of summer squash (Paris, 1986).

Group Fruit shape Scallop Flattened, with scalloped margins Crookneck Elongated, with narrow, long, slightly to very curved neck, broad distal half, convex distal end Straightneck Cylindrical, with short neck or constriction near the stem end and a broad distal half, convex or pointed distal end Vegetable Short, tapered, cylindrical, narrow at stem end, marrow broad at distal end, length-to-broadest width ratio ranging ii-em 1.5 to 3.0 Cocozelle Long to extremely long slightly tapered cylindrical, bulbous near blossom end, length-to-broadest width ratio ranging from 3.5 to 8.0 or even higher zucchini Uniformly cylindrical, little or no taper, length-to-broadest width ratio usually from 3.5 to 4.5 al., 1937). The term cocozelle is the On the basis of genetic relation- of C. pepo are pollinated by , cross diminutive of cocuzza, which itself is ships, C. pepo has been subdivided into with one another freely, and produce an Italian inversion of zucca. two subspecies, pepo arid ovifera, the fully fertile offspring, it is amazing that Cocuzza applies to the extremely long- former appearing to be associated with most of the summer squash groups fruited forms of Lagenaria, which are a Mexican origin and the latter with an have maintained their identity for hun- used in Sicily and other parts of Italy origin in the eastern half of the United dreds of years. for culinary purposes when young, States (Decker, 1988 ). Six extant hor- In the scallop group (syn. ‘Patty about 50 cm long (Bianchini and ticultural groups of summer squash Pan’, ‘Custard’, ‘Cymling’, ‘Patisson’, Corbetta, 1976). Cocozelle applies to have been recognized on the basis of ‘Button’), the fruit are flat, with scal- long fruit of lesser dimensions. The fruit shape (Paris, 1986; Table 1; Fig. loped margins (Fig. 2). The history of term marrow is used for edible C. pepo 1). Of these six, the vegetable marrow, this group in Europe dates to the fruit about 2 weeks past anthesis. It cocozelle, and zucchini groups can be middle of the 16th century (Paris, was a 19th-century English custom to assigned to subspecies pepo and the 1989). The scallop was represented by eat fruit of this age, and the term scallop, crookneck, and straightneck at least three distinct forms, one of marrow is perhaps in allusion to bone groups to subspecies ovifera. which was the ‘Golden Bush Scallop’ marrow (Stuart, 1987). The term veg- Their distinct fruit shapes allow cultivar or very similar form. The two etable marrow is the ii-all, original name the summer squash groups to be iden- others were vining forms having fruit for marrow. I prefer to reserve veg- tified easily in even some of the earliest resembling those of the ‘Yellow Bush etable marrow for referring to summer illustrated botanical works. Much of Scallop’ and ‘White Bush Scallop’ cul- squash forms having fruit of the short, the early historical record of Cucur- tivars. The use of immature C. pepo by tapered cylindrical shape similar to that bita is indeed from botanical herbals native Americans of the Atlantic Coast of the English forms that were used as (Paris, 1989). One of the most note- was described in the mid-17th cen- marrows. worthy of these tomes, because of the Perhaps in the Cucurbitaceae in abundance of realistic, quality illustra- general, more so in the genus Cucur- tions of various forms and therefore Fig. 1. An array of summer squash fruit bita, and very definitely so in C. pepo, perhaps best summarizing the Renais- arranged according to the six extant horticultural groups. Left to right top row: there is an association between the sance depictions of C. pepo, is the com- cocozelle, crookneck, scallop; bottom row: length-to-width ratio and the stage of pilation of Chabrey (1666). As all forms straightneck, vegetable marrow, zucchini. development at which the fruit is used for culinary purposes (Paris, 1989). Pumpkins as well as acorn squash have a near 1:1 length-to-width ratio and, with certain exceptions, are consumed when mature. Vegetable marrows de- viate from this ratio, originally being used when about half-grown. Zuc- chini, which deviate more, are used only when young. Cocozelles, which deviate even more, are used when young or very young, with the corolla still attached. Similarly, straightneck, crookneck, and scallop squash, which also deviate noticeably from the 1:1 ratio, are used only when young. Ap- parently, this trend toward deviation from the 1:1 ratio stems from the desire for more of the colored exocarp and firm mesocarp tissue and less of the soft, pulpy interior of developing and placenta.

HortTechnology • Jan./Mar. 1996 6(1) 7 Fig. 2. Scallop squash. Top left, tury. During the 18th cen- five yellow, striped fruit of tury, native Americans of ‘Golden Bush Scallop’; top right the coast and the interior three yellow fruit of ‘Yellow Bush Scallop’; between them, three reportedly used the scal- intensely yellow fruit (with lop squash when imma- intense green ring around the ture, whereas other forms blossom scar) of ‘Sunburst’; of Cucurbita were used bottom left and center, seven light green fruit (with faint or stored when mature. hint of yellow stripes) of The scallop squash was ‘Benning's Green Tint’; at the 4 familiar to the most fa- o’clock position, two pale green mous of early American fruit of ‘White Bush Scallop’. gardeners, Thomas Jefferson (Betts, 1944). From the early 19th cen- tury, scallop squash are mentioned more or less Fig. 3. . Two fruit each, left to rigkt (top row) continually in of ‘Pavo’, ‘Early Yellow literature of Europe and Crookneck’, and ‘Dixie’ and North America. Scallop (bottom row) ‘Yellow Summer squash had economic im- Crookneck’, ‘Supersett’, portance along the Atlan- ‘Ranger’, and ‘Pic-n-pic’. tic coast of the United States until about 70 years ago, but since then ap- pear to have been largely replaced by other groups. presently, this group has commercial importance in Australia, where it is known as button squash. For many years, the more Fig. 4. . Two familiar scallop squash fruit each, left to right (top row) fruit were pale green in of ‘Creamy’, ‘Early Prolific color, but yellow scallops Straightneck’, and ‘Golden Girl’ and (bottom row) ‘Goldzini’, appear today to be increas- ‘Lemondrop’, and ‘Multipik’. ing in popularity. It is be- coming more and more difficult to obtain seeds of the old open-pollinated cultivars such as ‘Benning’s Green Tint’, ‘Golden Bush Scallop’, ‘White Bush Scallop’, and ‘Yellow Bush Scallop’. It is much easier to obtain seeds of the modern hy- brids, ‘Peter Pan’ and Fig. 5. Vegetable marrow squash ‘Sunburst’, as these are One fruit each, left to right, of ‘Bar ‘Oz’, ‘Beirut’, ‘Clarita’, offered by many and ‘Katia’. companies. In the crookneck group, the fruit are elon- gated with a slim, long, slightly to very curved neck, and a broad distal half of the fruit, with a convex distal end (Fig. 3). Typically, the fruit are light yellow, but as they mature they become in- tense orange and highly warted. These are not to be confused with the so-

8 HortTechnology · Jan./Mar. 1996 6(1) called winter crookneck, which be- States is from the letter of T. Matlack strong flavor. At present, the crook- long to C. moschata (Duch. ex Lam.) to Jefferson in February 1807: “The neck is the predominant summer Duch. ex Poir., nor with the cushaws, long crooked & warted Squash—a squash group in the southeastern most of which belong to C. native of New Jersey, which the United States. Several distinct open- argyrosperma Huber. An illustration Cooper’s family have preserved and pollinated cultivars, sold under the of the C. pepo crookneck appeared in cultivated for a near century. It is our names ‘Early Yellow Crookneck’, ‘Early several German botanical tomes of the best Squash” (Betts, 1944). Accord- Summer Crookneck’, and ‘Yellow 17th century, but as the illustration ing to Sturtevant (1890), the ‘Sum- Summer Crookneck’, are still in com- contains a plant and plant parts of mer Crookneck’ cultivar first appeared merce but most extant cultivars are other cucurbit genera, it appears to be in a North American seed catalog in hybrids, some of the more familiar of 16th-century style. The earliest 1828, and many other references were ones being ‘Dixie’, ‘Pave’, and ‘Tara’. record known to me from the United soon to follow in the United States and ‘Dixie’ has been a leading cultivar since Europe. Two crookneck cultivars were its release in 1966. Fig. 6. Cocozelle squash. One fruit each, left to known to Naudin (1856), one of viney In the straightneck group, the right, smooth nonstriped subgroup ‘Ibis’ and growth and having large fruit and the fruit are cylindrical with a short neck or ‘Ortolano di Faenza’; smooth striped other of bushy growth and having constriction near the stem end and a subgroup ‘Cocozelle’, ‘Long Cocozelle’ ‘Striato Pugliese’, ‘Cocozelle Tripolis’, and small fruit; the fruit of both were yel- broad distal half of the fruit with a ‘Striato d’Italia’, ribbed striped subgroup low and highly warted. The crook- convex and more or less pointed distal ‘Romanesco’, ‘Fiorentino’, and ‘Arte’. neck have a characteristically distinct, end (Fig. 4). The fruit of all cultivars are light yellow, but as they mature they become medium to intense yel- low-orange and warted. The color is generally more yellow and less orange and the profuseness of the warts is generally less than in the crookneck group. An illustration of a slightly necked, warted, but not pointed fruit, possibly an incipient straightneck form, appeared in a botanical tome pub- lished in in 1700. The French botanist A.N. Duchesne illustrated in 1770 a mature straightneck fruit, warted and about 34 cm long, a com- ment on which was published later (Lamarck, 1786). A yellow, warted, humpback squash was described in Germany at about the same time. No mention of the straightneck squash appeared in any writings from North America before 1896. The cultivar names listed by Hansen and Thornber (1901), ‘Long Golden Straightneck’ and ‘Straightneck Summer’, were both considered to be synonymous with ‘Giant Summer Straightneck’ by Tapley et al. (1937), who stated that this cultivar was introduced by seedsmen in 1896, being a selection out of the ‘Giant Crookneck’ cultivar. On the other hand, Tapley et al. reported that several straightneck strains that were beginning to achieve popularity were developed in the decade before their writing. Today, the straightneck culti- vars have economic importance in the northeastern United States. The straightneck is favored by some be- cause it is easier to box and pack than the crookneck. Almost all extant

Fig. 7. Zucchini squash. Three fruit each, left to right (top row) ‘Black Zucchini’, ‘Fordhook Zucchini’, and ‘Nero di Milano’ and (bottom row) ‘Verde Lungo di Milano’ and ‘Goldy’.

HortTechnology . Jan./Mar. 1996 6(1) 9 Fig. 8. Commercial field of zucchini squash near Bet She’an, northern Israel. Relatively small plants with short internodes and upright growth allow for easy management.

Duchesne illustrated a mature cocozelle fruit, a brief comment on which was published later (Lamarck, 1786). Seringe (1847) described the cocozelle as being eaten when only 10 to 14 cm long. Naudin (1856) described four cocozelles, two striped and two light green; the existence of several distinct forms indicates that the cocozelle must have been in cultivation for a consider- able length of time before his writing. Vilmorin (1883), the French seedsman, presented a fine illustration. Tamaro (1901), writing in Italy, described two striped cocozelles; the 1916 edition is furnished with Vilmonn’s illustration and the caption “Cuccuzzella”. In the straightneck cultivars are hybrids de- pears that the vegetable marrow un- United States, Burr (1863) and Goff veloped by American seed companies, derwent intensive development and (1888) described the cocozelle culti- with ‘Seneca Butterbar’, ‘Multipik’, proliferation in number of cultivars in var ‘Italian Vegetable Marrow’. Tapley ‘Golden Girl’, and ‘Seneca Prolific’ England during the . et al. (1937) described two distinct being perhaps the most familiar. One Tapley et al. (1937) briefly described a cultivars, ‘Italian Vegetable Marrow’ open-pollinated cultivar that has per- cultivar from Alexandria, Egypt, and and ‘Cocozelle’ but stated that these sisted in commerce is ‘Early Prolific from their description it seems to have two names had not only been used Straightneck’. had fruit of typical vegetable marrow interchangeably but also that they in In the vegetable marrow group, shape. Today, vegetable marrows are fact referred to an entire group of the fruit have a short, tapered, cylindri- of great economic importance in the cultivars, many representatives of which cal shape, narrow near the peduncle, Middle East. In that region, vegetable were described in catalogs from Italian broad near the blossom end, ratio of marrows are almost always prepared seed companies. This situation has not length-to-broadest width ranging from by slicing lengthwise, scooping out changed. Indeed, probably more di- 1.5 to 3.0 (Fig. 5). Most cultivars have the central pulp and replacing it with a versity in vegetative and reproductive light green fruit, although there are of meat and rice; their short, characteristics occurs in the cocozelle some English cultivars with dark green broad cylindrical shape makes vegetable than in any other summer squash or striped fruit. Vegetable marrows marrows ideally suited for stuffing. group. Its many varieties can be di- appeared in a 1566 painting by Joachim Open-pollinated cultivars such as vided into four subgroups: cultivars Beuckelaer of Flanders and then in a ‘Beirut’ and ‘Sihi Lavan’ (‘White Bush’) with smooth, striped fruit such as Belgian botanical tome of 1576. An- are still available, but the large Middle ‘Striato d’Italia’ and ‘Striato Pugliese’, other illustration of a vegetable mar- Eastern market has induced many cultivars with ribbed, striped fruit such row or incipient vegetable marrow North American and European seed as ‘Romanesco’ and ‘Lungo appeared in a botanical tome pub- companies to breed vegetable mar- Fiorentino’, cultivars with smooth, lished in 1591. After that, there appear rows. ‘Clarita’, ‘Beida’, and ‘Clairette’ light green fruit such as ‘Alberello di to be no original depictions or descrip- are several of the familiar hybrid culti- Sarzane’ and ‘Ortolano di Faenza’, all tions of this group until some draw- vars. from Italy, and cultivars with smooth, ings made in France by Duchesne In the cocozelle group, the fruit pale green fruit from and the around 1770, brief comments on which are long to extremely long, cylindrical former Yugoslavia. Forms of the ribbed, were published later (Lamarck, 1786), but bulbous near the blossom end, striped subgroup are used with the and a detailed description written in and usually slightly tapered. The corolla still attached, 1 to 2 days past England by Sabine (1816). From then length-to-broadest-width ratio ap- anthesis. Cocozelles, because of their on, the vegetable marrow is mentioned proximates to greatly exceeds 3.5 (Fig. high surface area to volume ratio, are continually, mostly in Europe but also 6). This group includes the longest used for steaming whole when young in North American writings. In the fruited forms of the species. Most of and for stir frying. When somewhat Journal of the Royal Horticultural So- them exhibit longitudinal striping of larger, some develop a characteristic ciety of 1913, many vegetable marrows the fruit, but light green is fairly fre- rich, green-vegetable flavor. Hybrid are described, differing in plant growth quent and other colors occur. Not- cultivars of the various subgroups have habit (most being viney), plant vigor, withstanding the Italian name, it was been developed by Italian seed compa- fruit color (almost all white or cream) the French horticulturists who first nies, including ‘Albatros’, ‘Arte’, ‘Ibis’, and overall uniformity. Thus, it ap- described the cocozelle. In 1770, and ‘Romano’.

10 HortTechnology · Jan./Mar. 1996 6(1) Fig. 10. Closed growth habit of ‘Benning's Fig. 11. Open growth habit of ‘Goldy’ Green Tint’ scallop squash. In addition to the zucchini squash. Only a main shoot (at right, main shoot (at top center), there are several rear) occurs; all but the youngest petioles are side shoots (branching to the left at center and horizontal. lower center, and branching toward the right at lower center). Petioles of all but the oldest leaves are vertical.

HortTechnology · Jan./Mar. 1996 6(1) 11 In the zucchini group (syn. by having distantly related parents, Breeding summer squash is con- courgette), the fruit are long, cylindri- exhibit tremendous hybrid vigor. How- ducted in an increasing number of cal, with little or no taper, and a length- ever, they have a somewhat tapered, countries, among them the United to-width ratio approximating or ex- less desirable fruit shape than pure States, Mexico, France, Italy, Spain, ceeding 3.5 (Fig. 7). Nearly all zuc- zucchini, either hybrid or open-polli- The Netherlands, Israel, South Korea, chini cultivars have medium green, nated. Among ‘the hybrid cultivars and Taiwan. Besides the universal goals dark green, or very dark green fruit, having the classic uniformly cylindrical of crop breeding, i.e., increased pro- although some cultivars from the east- fruit shape are ‘Aristocrat’, ‘Arlesa’, ductivity, earliness, and disease resis- ern Mediterranean area have pale green ‘Bareqet’, ‘Blackjack’, ‘Dark Star’, tance, there are a number of important fruit and, more recently, cultivars have ‘Diplomat’, ‘Dusk’, ‘Elira’, ‘Gold horticultural characteristics that need been developed that have intense yel- Rush’, ‘Goldy’, and ‘Large’. to accounted for in breeding summer low fruit. The history of the zucchini is Several cultivars having round fruit squash. The fruit shape needs to con- considerably shorter than that of the (pumpkins) and bush growth habit are form as closely as possible to the ideal cocozelle. The earliest description of grown in Italy and France for con- of the group being bred. Chances for what might have been a zucchini (but sumption of the young fruit. Among success increase if the fruit color con- perhaps was a cocozelle) cultivar was these cultivars of summer pumpkins forms to the current demands of the ‘Larnaca’, which was described by are ‘Tondo di Nizza’ (syn. ‘Ronde de particular target market. Size of the Naudin (1856) as being uniformly ’), ‘Tondo Chiaro di Toscana’, blossom scar should not be excessively cylindrical to slightly bulbous and light and ‘Tondo Scuro di Piacenza’. One large. At harvest, the peduncle should in color. It was not until about 1900 ribbed cultivar of summer pumpkin, separate easily from the , or that a cultivar of the familiar dark ‘Gourmet Globe’, was commercial- tend to fracture several cm away from green zucchini was described, this be- ized in the United States. Like the sum- the fruit. Among the foliar characteris- ing ‘Zucca Quarantine Vera Nana’ mer squash and unlike the typical Hal- tics, small plants, short internodes, and (Tamaro, 1901). This form was said to loween pumpkins that are so well adapted bushy, upright growth are essential for have a short stem, with long, slender, to carving, these summer pumpkins are easy management and harvest (Figs. 8 cylindrical, dark green fruit, thereby difficult to slice at maturity because they and 9). Foliage that is as spineless as closely resembling the modern zuc- have lignified rinds. One of the reasons possible is desired for less scratching of chini. Tapley et al. (1937) described that the summer squash in general are so the fruit when picked. Open growth two zucchini cultivars that had been ill-adapted for use when mature is their habit, a complex characteristic conferred listed first by North American seed lignified rinds. This condition is quite mainly by lack of branching and hori- companies in 1921 and 1931; the name pronounced in the scallop, crookneck, zontal angle (Figs. 10 and 11 ), is zucchini seemed to have been used and straightneck groups, whose rela- essential for rapid harvest and less dam- first in California, but by 1937 it had tively small fruit develop lignified rinds age to the fruit when picked (Baggett, come to represent a distinct group. that are especially thick and also are 1972). Relatively small plant size is pre- Pangalo (1955) considered the zuc- warted (Schaffer, 1983). ferred, as excessive foliage is unneces- chini to be the most modern group of Some of the old English marrow sary for good production and tends to summer squash because all of the zuc- cultivars, such as ‘Tender’ and ‘True’, hide the- fruit. Furthermore, the eco- chini cultivars had bush growth habit, were in fact pumpkins that were used nomic value of the fruit is inversely a derived characteristic. Although it is when half grown. This use of some related to their size, smaller fruit com- the only recently evolved summer pumpkins apparently is derived from manding a higher price in nearly all squash group, the zucchini is today the the ancient use of the primitive landrace cases. Large plants, typical of intergroup- most widely grown and economically pumpkins in Mexico. These Mexican hybrid zucchini, tend to have exces- the most important group of C. pepo. forms have large , are late to , sively fast fruit growth, which results in It is grown, to a-greater or lesser ex- and produce a relatively low propor- oversizing of the fruit very quickly. tent, probably in every region in which tion of female , have poor pro- Breeding summer squash appears summer squash is grown, and is the ductivity, and are highly susceptible to to be more intensive now than ever predominant form in many parts of the diseases. The fruit have thick, lignified before. The 1980s witnessed the re- world. Its long cylindrical shape is rinds and are usually prominently lease of a number of cultivars, espe- adapted to a wide variety of culinary ribbed, but vary in fruit shape, size, cially of zucchini, with exceptionally uses. Some open-pollinated cultivars, and color. These primitive pumpkins good combinations of the desired traits such as ‘Black Zucchini’, ‘Black probably are representative, in whole enumerated above. Even more recently Beauty’, ‘Fordhook Zucchini’, ‘Nero or in part, of the ancestral forms of the there have been reports of success in di Milano’, and ‘True French’ are still vegetable marrows, cocozelles, and breeding for resistance to virus dis- in commerce, but most of the market zucchini (Decker, 1985; Paris, 1989). eases in zucchini and crookneck. In is comprised of over 100 hybrids, re- Apparently round-fruitedness has been the future, one can expect combina- sulting from breeding that has been favored in Mexico. After the arrival of tions of the best horticultural traits conducted in the United States, Eu- C. pepo in Europe, most notably in with disease resistance. These elite com- rope, and elsewhere over the past 40 Italy, long fruit shape, bush growth, binations probably will be achieved years. Many of the so-called zucchini earliness, and productivity were se- first in zucchini. which can be ex- hybrids released in the 1950s and 1960s lected; variable landraces or local cul- pected to continue as the economi- are actually intergroup crosses between tivars occur in Italy until the present, cally most important and horticultur- a cocozelle or a vegetable marrow with but they differ sharply from Mexican ally most advanced group of summer a zucchini; these intergroup hybrids, stocks in these characteristics. squash.

12 HortTechnology · Jan./Mar. 1996 6(1) Naudin, C. 1856. Nouvelles recherches Literature Cited sur les caracteres specifiques et les varietes des plantes du genre Cucurbita. Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot., Ser. 4,6:5-73, 3 pl. Baggett, J.R. 1972. Open growth habit in summer squash. HortScience 7:288. Pangalo, K.I. 1955. Origin and evolution- ary trends in cucurbitaceous crops. Prob. Betts, E.M. (Annotator). 1944. Thomas Botanik. Akad. Nauk. U.S.S.R. 2:329- Jefferson’s garden book 1766-1824. Amer. 338. Philosophical Soc., Philadelphia. p. 340– 341. Paris, H.S. 1986. A proposed subspecific classification for Cucurbita pepo. Phytologia Bianchini, F. and F. Corbetta. 1976. The 61:133-138. complete book of and . I. and A. Mancinelli (transl.). Crown, New Paris, H.S. 1989. Historical records, ori- York. p. 106-115. gins, and development of the edible culti- var groups of Cucurbita pepo (Cucurbita- Burr, F. 1863. The field and garden veg- ceae). Econ. Bot. 43:423–443. etables of America. Crosby and Nichols, Boston. p. 200-228. Sabine, J. 1816. A description and account of the cultivation of a variety of gourd Chabrey, D. 1666. Stirpium sciagraphia et called vegetable marrow. Trans. Hort. Soc. icones. P. Gamoneti and J. de la Pierre, Lond. 2:255–257. Geneva, Switzerland. p. 129-135. Schaffer, A.A. 1983. Characterization and Cutler, H.C. and T.W. Whitaker. 1961. inheritance studies of fruit pigmentation History and distribution of the cultivated and rind development in Cucurbita pepo L. cucurbits in the Americas. Amer. Antiquity PhD thesis, Rutgers Univ., New Brun- 26:469–485. swick, N.J. Decker, D.S. 1985. Numerical analysis of Seringe, N.C. 1847. Flore des jardins et des allozyme variation in Cucurbita pepo. Econ. grandes cultures. vol. 2. C.S. Jeune, ed. Bot. 39:300–309. Dumoulin et Ronet, Lyon, France. p. 531- Decker, D.S. 1988. Origin(s), evolution, 541 and systematic of Cucurbita pepo (Cucur- Stuart, D. 1987. The kitchen garden. Alan bitaceae). Econ. Bot. 42:4–15. Sutton, Gloucester, U.K. p. 160–1 61. Fruit and Vegetable Markets. 1992. Medi- Sturtevant, E.L. 1890. History of garden terranean production of important veg- vegetables. Squash, pumpkin, and gourd. etables, 1986-88 (ret). Fruit and Veg- Amer. Naturalist 24:727–744. etable Markets (June): 10. Tamaro, D. 1901. Orticoltura. U. Hoepli, Goff, E.S. 1888. Report of the horticultur- , Italy, 2nd ed. p. 467–470. ist. New York State Agr. Expt. Sta. Rpt. 6 (1887):76-306. Tapley, W.T., W.D. Enzie, and G.P. Van Eseltine. 1937. The vegetables of NewYork. Hansen, N.E. and W.S. Thornber. 1901. Vol. 1, Part 4. J.B. Lyon, Albany, N.Y. Vegetables in South Dakota. South Da- kota Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 68(1900):142- Vilmorin, A. 1883. Les plantes potageres. 148. A. Vilmorin, Paris, France. p. 169–191. Lamarck, J.B.P.A. de M. de. 1786. Whitaker, T.W. 1947. American origin of Methodique, Bot. 2:148– the cultivated cucurbits. Ann. Missouri 159. Bot. Gard. 34:101-111.

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