Melons, gourds, squash...which crosses with which?

16 years ago

Can anyone tell me which crosses with which.........winter melon, bitter melon, pumpkins, zucchini, etc. I do know that winter melon crosses with hairy melon, but that is all. I have read Nancy Bubel's Seed Starter's Handbook and she has some info on the non-Asian ones, but I also plant Asian varieties. Thanks.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

digit
16 years ago
Gardentrekker, it is all a bit of a "wade" but once you've got the scientific names of the Cucurbita plants you grow, it should all become easier. Writing them down will help. The Australians seem to have taken far more interest in Asian vegetables than Americans and have a fair amount of information in English. For example, we can learn here that both winter melon and hairy melon are, Benincasa hispida.

Purdue reprints the general outlines for cross-pollination and a chart of the members of the cucurbit family grown in the US is broken down by species:
"Cross pollination generally occurs only among members within the same species. However some crossing between species occurs in the genus Cucurbita, among pumpkins, squash and gourds. C. pepo will cross with C. mixta and C. moschata: and C. maxima will cross with C. moschata.

"C. pepo will not cross with C. maxima.

"Cross pollination does not occur between melons, cucumbers or other species."

The University of Melbourne broadens this list greatly including Asian members. Don't be too intimidated by the listing of names from so many different languages. I find that if I ignore everything on the webpage except the English, I don't drift off into the stratosphere.

I think that the key to your question is that different species generally do NOT cross with only a few exceptions.

Steve
gardentrekker
Original Author
16 years ago
Steve: Many thanks for the detailed information, which I will definitely pursue.
digit
16 years ago
You are welcome, Gardentrekker, altho' I very much left the research up to you.

What most often occurs in American gardens is that commonly-grown Halloween pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) cross with commonly-grown zucchini (Cucurbita pepo). These plants produce normal fruit just as the gardener expects.

Then the seed gets thrown in the compost and volunteers shoot up the next year. The curious gardener allows these to grow and discovers, "What the heck!" The fruits from these vines look like some weird gourd but also, sort of like a summer squash, or maybe a cucumber (NOT).

Really, we shouldn't bother with these volunteer plants. Commercial growers must certify that their fields where various Cucurbita spp. are grown for seed - are separated by miles from other fields of Cucurbita spp.!! Miles!

Bees are the pollinators and they have little interest in all this except as sources of nectar and pollen.

Steve