NAUDIN ON THE GENUS CUCURBITA. 83 



NAUDIN ON THE GENUS CUCURBITA. 



Naudin's " Researches into the Specific Characters and the 

 Varieties of the Genus Cucurbita " ^ are published in the 6th 

 vokime (4th series) of the "Annalesdes Sciences Naturelles," 

 and are of no small interest, being founded upon a very con- 

 scientious investigation of nearly all the known forms, collected 

 for the jDurpose, and cultivated under the author's eye at the 

 Jardin des Plantes. These forms our author reduces to six 

 species, and the alimentary sorts in cultivation to three, namely, 

 Cucurbita maxima^ 0. Pepo^ and C. moschata. The remain- 

 ing three species are C. melanosperma of Braun, newly in- 

 troduced from eastern Asia, and the two perennial and tu- 

 berous-rooted species, 0. perennis and C. digltata, Gray, na- 

 tives of our southwestern borders, the fruits of which are not 

 esculent. Indeed, the Pumpkins and Squashes cultivated in 

 Northern Europe, and with us, as now understood, belong to 

 only two species, since the third, 0. ?noschata, hardly comes 

 to perfection north of the Mediterranean region. Of these, 

 C. maxima is made to include C. 3Ielopepo ; and C. Pepo^ 

 comprising our Pumpkins and a large part of our Squashes, 

 is made to include C. ovifera^ aurantia^ verrucosa, etc., and 

 the species are defined by botanical characters, which ap- 

 parently may be relied upon. The varieties of O. maxima 

 fall into two main groups, characterized by their fruits, 

 namely, the " Turbans," having crowned fruits, that is, the 

 summit projecting beyond the adnate caljrx-tube, a peculiar- 

 ity found in no other species, and the crownless sorts, in which 

 this peculiarity is not manifest. The innumerable varieties 

 of C. Pepo are arranged in seven groups, according to the 

 configuration of their fruits. 



M. Naudin has not undertaken to discuss the questions 

 respecting the birthplace of these plants. He remarks that 

 C. maxima and C moschata have been known in European 

 gardens scarcely above two centuries ; but that C. Pepo was 

 perhaps known to the Greeks and the Romans in the time of 

 Pliny. 



1 American Journal of Science and Arts, 2 ser., xxiv. 440. 



