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September 28, 2006 : Cucurbita cultivars
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Keywords: Cucurbitaceae | Cucurbita cultivars | cultivated in Vienna, Austria
A thank you to Monika (half of monika&manfred@Flickr) for submitting today's photographs taken in Vienna, Austria (original image 1 and original image 2). It's worth the time to browse Monika's photographs, particularly since she has photographs from her travels around the world.
The question to ask with cucurbits is, “What aren't they used for?” If you read The Wild and Wonderful World of Gourds from Wayne Armstrong, you'll learn members of this family were or are used for: food, medicine, ornament, a sweetener, currency, an art medium, containers and eating utensils, pipes, musical instruments and clothing – not a bad list!
I believe most, if not all, of the cucurbits in today's photographs have wild origins in Mexico and South America, though if the pale one is actually a melon (Cucumis melo) instead of a squash, it would have its origin in Africa or southwest Asia. Members of the family are found throughout the tropical, subtropical and warm temperate areas of the world.
As an aside, you'll recall how I mentioned Arbutus menziesii is oft a subject of photographers. For proof, see ngawangchodron's Arbutus menziesii – fifty photographs so far!
Posted by Daniel Mosquin at September 28, 2006 12:00 AM
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Posted by: Debra Dunaway at September 28, 2006 1:26 AM
and don't forget luffas (loofa) for sponges - see Wikipedia.
Posted by: Eva at September 28, 2006 7:42 AM
I have seen many of these growing and being used dried in central and south central Kentucky. In some isolated rural districts in that area without plumbing, they are used as a very large spoon would be used in buckets of water or a shallow water well, thereby earning their name of "dipper," e.g. "Would you like me to dip you a dipper-full to drink"?
Posted by: Sheila Pickerill at September 28, 2006 7:55 AM
Elisabeth F sent me a note suggesting that the pale cucurbit is likely the rounded end of a butternut squash – seems logical to me!
Posted by: Daniel Mosquin 
at September 28, 2006 10:42 AM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
Beautiful!! abosultely beautiful!!! well done