Cucurbita fraterna facts for kids

Cucurbita fraterna is a wild plant that belongs to the Cucurbita family. This family includes many well-known plants like pumpkins and squashes. Cucurbita fraterna is also known by another scientific name: Cucurbita pepo subspecies fraterna.

This plant grows naturally in Mexico, specifically in the states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León. It is a type of plant called a mesophyte, which means it likes to grow in places with a moderate amount of water. Unlike many plants we eat, Cucurbita fraterna has never been domesticated. This means people have not changed it over time to make it easier to grow or better for food.

What Makes Cucurbita fraterna Special?

Cucurbita fraterna is very important because it is believed to be the wild ancestor of the common Cucurbita pepo. This is the plant that gives us many types of pumpkins and squashes we eat today. Wild C. pepo plants can still be found growing in the same areas as C. fraterna.

A scientist named Liberty Hyde Bailey officially described C. fraterna in 1943. He wrote about it in a scientific publication called Gentes Herbarum.

Where Does It Grow?

Most wild Cucurbita plants have very bitter fruits. However, some C. fraterna fruits have been found that are not bitter at all. This plant usually grows in dry, high areas with lots of scrub (small bushes and trees). It starts to bloom in September, and its fruits are ready to be picked in December.

Family Ties: C. fraterna and Its Relatives

Scientists have been discussing how C. pepo, C. fraterna, and Cucurbita texana are related for a long time, since at least 1857. It turns out that C. pepo is more similar to C. fraterna than it is to C. texana. C. texana is another wild plant that some people thought might be an ancestor of C. pepo.

Genetic Clues

Scientists can study the genes of plants to see how closely they are related. They look at things called isozymes and alleles. C. fraterna and C. pepo have very similar isozymes. In fact, C. fraterna shares all 25 types of alleles that scientists have studied with C. pepo. This strong genetic match suggests that C. fraterna is the closest wild relative of C. pepo.

It's very likely that C. pepo started out as an early domesticated version of C. fraterna. These two plants can also easily cross-breed with each other, and with C. texana.

Two Groups of C. pepo

Based on genetic studies, scientists have found that C. pepo plants can be divided into two main groups:

• One group includes plants like pumpkins, calabaza, criolla squash, and marrow squash.
• The other group includes ornamental gourds, crookneck squash, acorn squash, and pattypan squash.

Interestingly, C. fraterna is genetically closer to the first group of C. pepo plants. On the other hand, C. texana is genetically closer to the second group. This suggests that C. pepo might be a "compilospecies." This means it could have developed from a mix of C. fraterna and C. texana, which were originally two separate species.