More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Fruits of Zihuatanejo
Cushaw Pumpkin
Cucurbita argyrosperma
-Vascular Plants (Phylum Tracheophyta)
-Flowering Plants (Subphylum Angiospermae)
-Begonias, Gourds, and Allies (Order Cucurbitales)
-Gourd Family (Family Cucurbitaceae)
-Tribe Cucurbiteae
-Gourds (Genus Cucurbita)
-Cushaw Pumpkin (Cucurbita argyrosperma)
In Mexico, Cucurbita argyrosperma—the cushaw pumpkin—exists not only as a cultivated crop but also in feral and semi-wild populations, especially across tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific coast and interior lowlands. These wild-growing plants are typically found in disturbed habitats such as field edges, fallow milpa plots, riverbanks, roadsides, and open areas within tropical dry forest. Rather than forming deep, untouched wild populations, they persist as escaped descendants of cultivated plants or as part of a continuum between domesticated and wild forms. Many wild fruits are harder, more fibrous, and sometimes bitter, reflecting a reversion toward ancestral traits.
Description
• Cucurbita argyrosperma, commonly known as silver-seed squash or cushaw squash, is an annual trailing or climbing vine in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). It has rough, broad, palmately lobed leaves, curling tendrils, and separate male and female yellow flowers on the same plant. Its fruits vary in shape and colour, often developing a hard rind with pale stripes or mottling. The large, flattened seeds are characteristically pale or silvery and are valued as food in parts of Mexico, where the plant has a long history of cultivation.
Range
• Cucurbita argyrosperma is native to Mexico and Central America, where it has been cultivated for food for centuries. Wild relatives occur in Mexico, and cultivated forms are grown in other warm regions. It is cultivated in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, and the surrounding area.
Habitat
• It grows in warm, sunny environments and is commonly found in cultivated fields, home gardens, and traditional agricultural plots. It favours fertile, well-drained soil and adequate moisture during active growth, spreading along the ground or climbing through nearby vegetation with its tendrils.