66 Cucurbita Cucurbita Cucurbita (Latin for gourd) is a genus in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae native to and originally cultivated in the Andes and Mesoamerica. The Cucurbita genus is an important source of human food and is used for other purposes such as beverages, medicine, oil, and detergent. Some Cucurbita species were brought to Europe after the discovery of America and are now used in many parts of the world. The plants, referred to as squash, pumpkin or gourd depending on species, variety and local parlance, are grown for their edible fruits and seeds. Real (bottle-)gourds, used as utensils or vessels, belong to the genus Lagenaria and are native to Africa. Lagenaria are in the same family and subfamily as Cucurbita, but different tribes. 22365 Cucurbita 66.jpg image/jpeg 68015 2012-04-20T09:30:13Z 72 Gourds Gourds Type 1 2011-02-09T00:37:18Z 2019-05-14T18:04:15Z false specific 3660 true FOOD00066