Cucurbita ficifolia

Chilacayote
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cucurbita
Species:	C. ficifolia
Binomial name
Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché

"Cidra" redirects here. For the Puerto Rican municipality, see Cidra, Puerto Rico.

Cucurbita ficifolia is a type of squash grown for its edible seeds, fruit, and greens. Although it is closely related to other squashes in its genus, it shows considerable biochemical difference from them and does not hybridize readily with them.

Common names in English

• Siam pumpkin
• Thai marrow
• Thin Vermicelli pumpkin
• Asian pumpkin
• fig-leaf gourd (also fig-leafed or fig-leaved gourd)
• pie melon (in Australia and New Zealand)
• Malabar gourd or squash

Common names in other countries/languages

• Chilacayote (in Mexico and parts of Central America)
• Chiverre (in Costa Rica)
• Calabaza china (Chinese pumpkin) (Cuba)
• shark fin melon (in Asia), written as 鱼翅瓜 in Mandarin
• golden string melon (Japan), written as kinshiuri, 金糸瓜 and 錦糸瓜
• sambo (in Ecuador)
• cayote (in Argentina)
• chila or gila (in Portugal)
• calabaza de cabello de angel (angel's hair pumpkin) (in Spain)
• potiron cheveux d'ange (angel's hair pumpkin)(in France)
• Alcayota (in Chile and the Cuyo region of Argentina)
• Cabell d'Àngel (angel's hair) (in Catalan)

Description

Like most members of the Cucurbita species, it is a climbing vine that is an annual in temperate climates and a perennial in tropical zones. The plant stem can grow five to fifteen meters and produces tendrils that help it climb adjacent plants and structures. It readily roots from the leaf axils, unlike most other curcubits. (John Cossham, York, UK 23:54, 19 April 2012 (UTC)) The vine can become semiwoody if left to grow perennially, although most commercial plants are annual. Its leaves resemble fig leaves, hence its most common name in English - fig-leaf gourd - and its Latin species name (C. ficifolia which means fig leaf).

The flowers are monoecious (meaning its flowers are either male or female but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by insects, especially bees. The color is yellow to orange.

The fruit is oblong with a diameter of eight inches or 20 centimeters, weighs eleven to 13 pounds (5 to 6 kilograms), and can produce up to 500 seeds. Its skin can vary from light or dark green to cream. One plant can produce over 50 fruit. The fruit can last without decomposing for several years if kept dry after harvest. (John Cossham, York, UK 23:54, 19 April 2012 (UTC))

Origin and distribution

It is native to the Americas, although the exact center of domestication is unclear. Linguistic evidence suggests Mexico, because of the wide use of names based on the Nahuatl name "chilacayohtli" as far south as Argentina. However, archaeological evidence suggests Peru because the earliest remains have been found there. Biosystematics has been unable to confirm either hypothesis.

Archeological records show that it was the most widespread variety of Cucurbita in the Americas, cultivated from northern Chile and Argentina to Mexico. Now it is grown as far north as southern California. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans introduced it to the Mediterranean regions of Europe (specifically France and Portugal) as well as India. From there it has spread to many other parts of the world and picked up more names.

Cultivation

Currently Cucurbita ficifolia is the least cultivated of the Cucurbita species. The natural altitude range of C. ficifolia falls between 1,000–3,000 meters, usually where rains are heavy. However, it can grow in other altitudes with lower precipitation, possibly due to its hardy root system and high resistance to viruses. It is often used to as a graft for other less resistant cucurbits. C. ficifolia can be propagated through planting seeds and by aerial grafting. Tendrils can grow into roots if anchored into the soil, and can propagate new plants once cut, which can be moved to new sites. Because it is not very resistant to frost, it is often planted after this risk has passed. Established plants, however can withstand short overnight frosts.

Uses

The flowers, leaves and tender shoots are used in Mexico and other countries as greens. The most nutritional part of Cucurbita ficifolia is its fat- and protein-rich seeds, which can vary in color from white to black. They are used in Mexico to make palanquetas, a sweet similar to peanut brittle. The fruit has several uses as food. The immature fruit is eaten cooked, while the mature fruit is sweet and used to make confectionery and beverages, sometimes alcoholic. The fruit is low in beta-carotene—as can be seen from its white flesh, relatively low in vitamins and minerals, and moderately high in carbohydrates.^{[citation needed]}

In Portugal, where the fruit is known as "chila" or "gila", it is still used extensively in the production of traditional Portuguese sweets and confectionery; it was also used as a crop for non-human consumption in order to feed pigs. In Catalonia, a sweet is made from the fruit known as "cabell d'àngel". In Chile and Argentina, marmalade is often made out of the fruit of "alcayota" or "cayote". In Costa Rica, it is traditional to make empanadas stuffed with sugared "chiverre" filling at Easter time. In Asia, the pulp strands are used to make soup, quite similar to shark fin soup, hence the name "shark fin melon". The cultivation and this usage feature briefly in the film Grow Your Own. Across Asia, eating this melon is also said to help people with diabetes. Several scientific studies have confirmed its hypoglycemic effect.

In Asia, it is used effectively to treat diabetes due to its high D-Chiro-Inositol content.

The vine and fruit are used for fodder. Because of its ability to keep for a long time, it was taken on voyages on ships, and used for food for livestock on board.^{[citation needed]}

External links

• Acosta-Patiño, J.L.; Jiménez-Balderas, E.; Juárez-Oropeza, M.A.; Dı́Az-Zagoya, J.C. (2001). "Hypoglycemic action of Cucurbita ficifolia on Type 2 diabetic patients with moderately high blood glucose levels". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 77 (1): 99–101. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(01)00272-0. PMID 11483384. 
• Neglected crops: 1492 from a different perspective (ch 10)
• Multilingual taxonomic information from the University of Melbourne
• Cucurbita Ficifolia seeds & research

See also

• Chila (disambiguation)