STURTEVANT S NOTES ON EDIBLE PLANTS 2 1 5 



Pepo maximum clypeatus. Ger. 774. 1597. 



Pepo latus. Dod. 666. 1616. 



Pepo latiorus fructus. Dod. 667. 1616. 



Cucurbita clypeiformis sive Siciliana melopepon latus a nonnuUs vocata. Bauh. J. 



2:224. 1651. (First known to him in 1 561.) 

 Melopepo clypeatus. Pancov. n. 920. 1653. 

 The Bucklet, or Simnel-Gourd. Ray Hw^ 1:648. 1686. 

 Summer Scolloped. 



The Bush Crookneck is also called a squash. Notwithstanding its peculiar shape 

 and usually warted condition, it does not seem to have received much mention by the 

 early colonists and seems to have escaped the attention of the pre-Linnean botanists, 

 who were so apt to figure new forms. The most we know is that the varietal name Simi- 

 mer Crookneck appeared in our garden catalogs in 1828,' and it is perhaps referred to by 

 Champlain in 1605. It is now recommended in France rather as an ornamental plant 

 than for kitchen use.* 



The Pineapple squash, in its perfect form, is of a remarkably distinctive character 

 on accoxuit of its acorn shape and regular projection. As grown, however, the .fruit is 

 quite variable and can be closely identified with the Pepo indicus angulosus of Gerarde ' 

 and is very well described by Ray,^ 1686. This variety was introduced in 1884 by Land- 

 reth from seed which came originally from Chile. It is a winter squash, creamy white 

 when harvested, of a deep yellow at a later period. 



The Pumpkin. 



The word " pumpkin " is derived from the Greek pepon, Latin pepo. In the ancient 

 Greek, it was used by Galen as a compound to indicate ripe fruit as sikuopepona, ripe 

 cucumber; as, also, by Theophrastus peponeas and Hippocrates sikuon peponia.^ The 

 word pepo was transferred in Latin to large fruit, for Pliny * says distinctly that cucumeres, 

 when of excessive size, are called pepones. By the commentators, the word pepo is often 

 applied to the melon. Fuchsius,^ 1542, figures the melon under the Latin name pepo, 

 German, pfeben; and Scaliger,' 1566, Dalechamp,' 1587, and Castor Durante,'" 1617, apply 

 this term pepo or pepon likewise to the melon. The derivatives from the word pepo appear 

 in the various European languages as follows: 



Belgian: pepoenem, Loh. Obs. 1 sj 6 ; pompeon, Marcg. 1648, Vilm. 1883. 

 Enghsh: pepon, Lyte 1586; pompon, Lyte 1586; pompion, Ger. 1597; pumpion, J. Smith 



1606; pumpkin, Townsend 1726. 



' Thorbum Cat. 1828. 

 Vilmoriniej P/s. Po/ag. 184. 1883. 

 Gerarde, J. Herb. yj^. 1597. 



* Ray Hist. PI. 1:641. 1686. 



' Theophrastus i/ii/. P/. Bodaeus Ed. 781. 1644. 

 ' Grandsagne i/ts/. Nat. Pline 19, c. 23. 1829-33. 

 ' Fuchsius Hist. Stirp. 701. 1542. 

 ' Scaliger Aristotle 79, no. 1566. 



Dalechamp Hist. Gen. PL (Lugd.) 1:623. 1587. 

 " Durante, C. Herb. 1617. 



