ID this big white volunteer squash please!

9 years ago

I planted a variety of what i thought were interesting winter squash and also honeydew melons and cantaloupe last year and not a one came up. It was a pack of mixed variety seeds---the honeydew and cantaloupe were obviously not in the mix.

This year AFTER tilling AND burning the garden this funny looking squash came up in my aisleway uninvited and unplanned. I have looked everywhere to ID it and can find nothing!

The flesh is pure white and there is a large central bunch of pumpkinlike seeds. The skin is tough so I feel it is a winter squash of some type but darned if I can identify it! The skin is I think about as tough as acorn squash and tougher than a pumpkin. There were abiut 10-12 squash all the size in the picture. Abt 3-5 lbs each and as you can see only two wd fit into my old rusty porcelain sink. Leaves were large toothed leaves when they were on and it was definitely vining but no tendrils that I noticed. Lil help please?

Comments (7)

acorneti
9 years ago
Looking at the stem connection with the fruit you might know the species of Cucurbita, Cucumis or Citrullus.
What is the color of matured seed?
Shape is like a cross of Cucurbita maxima of the hubbard group with Cucurbita ficifolia (white flesh, black seed), but I would need much more information to say more then this conjecture.
setterlover
Original Author
9 years ago
The seed is pure white. I considered a hubbard cross but it must have come to me in the seed pack that way. There are very small smooth "warts" on the outside and they have a vaguely pumpkin-like connection to the stem. Picture of cut fruit coming also. Thank you for responding!!! Now I have to research the genus you mentioned in your reply
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setterlover
Original Author
9 years ago
Here is a picture of a cut fruit. This one had gotten soft on one side and has been cut a week or so. Seeds Are creamy and flesh smells a little pumpkiny and has a crisp crunch like an apple. Flesh is firm and moister than a pumpkin I think and tastes very bland but pleasantly mild.
acorneti
9 years ago
I only see empty seed on this picture!
And so you have a sterile hybrid, I think.
But look, if there are fattened kernels and try to grow theese ones.
Now I would say, that C. ficifolia is not involved in this cross, but it might be an intergeneric cross with Cucumis melo of the inodorus group and any Cucurbita maxima.
...hope youÃÂ´ll find good seed!
setterlover
Original Author
9 years ago
Thabk you so much for adding to my knowledge. So THAT is what we call sterile seed. I have an MBA but they dont teach us about sterile seed in school. Lol. Duh. I feel so dumb. I figured it "wernt dun cookin yet". Now to try to find good fat seed in the rest and store the seed and put the squash up. it up. Its so mild I will likely can it and try to use some as i would potatoes. I see a bisque coming and maybe a pie of sorts. Thanks again!!
Macmex
9 years ago
Did you do a "finger nail test" on the skin before picking? Could it have been lacking some, for full maturity? When you say that the skin was "tough," it sounds like you did do a finger nail test. But if it was lacking some time for full maturity that might explain the color and the undeveloped seed.

George
acorneti
9 years ago
...glimpsed concavely from both sides...