Texas gourd facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Texas gourd

C. texana plant and young blossoms

C. texana fruit (left side)
Scientific classification
Synonyms
Tristemon texanus Scheele Cucurbita pepo subsp. ovifera var. texana (Scheele) Filov Cucurbita pepo var. texana (Scheele) D.S.Decker Cucurbita melopepo subsp. texana (Scheele) G.L.Nesom

Cucurbita texana, also known as Texas gourd, is a mesophytic plant species of the genus Cucurbita. It is native to Texas, primarily the southeastern region. It is found only in the wild. It is possibly a progenitor and close relative of the domesticated species Cucurbita pepo, though it and wild C. pepo are native to different areas. Cucurbita fraterna is also closely related. It was first collected 1835 by J. L. Berlandier in southern Texas. It was formally described as Tristemon texanus by George Heinrich Adolf Scheele in 1848 and transferred to the genus Cucurbita by Asa Gray in 1850.

Its usual habitat is in or near sandy riverbeds.

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Texas gourd Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.