Cucurbita okeechobeensis

Cucurbita okeechobeensis, the Okeechobee gourd, is a species of gourd in the family Cucurbitaceae, native to Mexico and the United States. There are two subspecies; one is endemic to Florida, primarily in the region around Lake Okeechobee, the other to the State of Veracruz in eastern Mexico.[2][3] Once abundant,[2] it has state and federal listing as an endangered species.[4]

Okeechobee gourd
C. okeechobeensis subsp. okeechobeensis

Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Cucurbita
Species:
C. okeechobeensis
Binomial name
Cucurbita okeechobeensis
Synonyms[1]
  • Pepo okeechobeensis Small 1930.

One of its peculiarities is the yellow corolla not so common in other Cucurbita species

Male flower at anthesis of Cucurbita okeechobeensis
Female flower at anthesis of Cucurbita okeechobeensis

Taxonomy

The taxonomy of the species and subspecies is uncertain. It was formerly classified as Pepo okeechobeensis.[5]

Some authorities divide it into two subspecies:[6][7]

Description

A climbing vine, C. okeechobeensis leaves have irregular serrate margins with 5 to 7 angular, shallow lobes. Overall the leaf blades are heart or kidney-shaped. Young leaves are covered with downy hair. The bell-shaped flowers are cream-colored, with long corollas (6 to 7 cm).

Ecology

It was often found growing on abandoned alligator nests in pond apple (Annona glabra) groves near Lake Okeechobee.

References
  1. The Plant List, Cucurbita okeechobeensis (Small) L.H.Bailey
  2. Andres, Thomas C.; Nabhan, Gary P. (1988). "Taxonomic Rank and Rarity of Cucurbita okeechobeensis". Cucurbit Genetics Cooperative Report. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University. 11: 83–85.
  3. Nee, Michael (1990). "The Domestication of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae)". Economic Botany. New York: New York Botanical Gardens Press. 44 (3, Supplement: New Perspectives on the Origin and Evolution of New World Domesticated Plants): 56–68. doi:10.1007/BF02860475. JSTOR 4255271. S2CID 40493539.
  4. Florida Plant Atlas . accessed 7.7.2012
  5. Pepo okeechobeensis - Small, J. New York Bot. Gard. 31: 12. 1930.
  6. "Cucurbita okeechobeensis". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  7. "C. okeechobeensis ssp. okeechobeensis Five-year Review" (PDF). United States Fish and Wildlife Service. September 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
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