''Cucurbita digitata'' is a species of flowering plant in the squash family known by the common names fingerleaf gourd and bitter squash. It is similar to '' Cucurbita californica'', '' Cucurbita cordata'', ''

Cucurbita cylindrata ''Cucurbita cylindrata'' is a species of flowering plant in the squash family. It is similar to '' Cucurbita californica'', '' Cucurbita cordata'', '' Cucurbita digitata'', and '' Cucurbita palmata'' and all these species hybridize readily. The ...

'', and '' Cucurbita palmata'' and all these species hybridize readily. These species form the only restricted

xerophyte A xerophyte () is a species of plant that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water. Examples of xerophytes include cacti, pineapple and some gymnosperm plants. The morphology and physiology of xerophytes are adapted to ...

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

in the genus ''

Cucurbita is a genus of herbaceous fruits in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae (also known as ''cucurbits'' or ''cucurbi''), native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five edible species are grown and consumed for their flesh and seeds. They are variously know ...

''. Each member of this species group is native to the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

and Northwestern Mexico where they are relatively uncommon. Each group member is found in hot, arid regions with low rainfall. They prefer soil that is loose, gravelly, and well-drained. ''C. digitata'' is native to northern

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

at higher elevations, northern

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

, Mexico, southern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and southwestern

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

. The juvenile leaves of ''C. cylindrata'', ''C. cordata'', ''C. digitata'', and ''C. palmata'' show a high degree of similarity, but their mature leaves are visibly different, as are their root structures. ''C. palmata'' and ''C. digitata'' are

sympatric In biology, two closely related species or populations are considered sympatric when they exist in the same geographic area and thus frequently encounter each other. An initially interbreeding population that splits into two or more distinct spe ...

, with ''C. palmata'' separating the ranges of ''C. digitata'' at the juncture of Baja California, California, and Arizona. ''C. digitata'' fruits are clear green mottle that turns yellow at maturity, striped, and round. It was first identified by

Asa Gray Asa Gray (November 18, 1810 – January 30, 1888) is considered the most important American botany, botanist of the 19th century. His ''Darwiniana'' (1876) was considered an important explanation of how religion and science were not necessaril ...

in 1853.

Description

''Cucurbita digitata'' is a hairy vining plant with sharply

palmate The following terms are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (that is, the leaf blade or 'lamina' is undivided) or compound (that is, the leaf blade is divided into two or more leaflets ...

leaves having five fingerlike lobes. It is quite similar in appearance to its close relative, the coyote gourd '' Cucurbita palmata'', but the lobes of its leaves are usually more slender. It has curling yellow flowers up to 5 centimeters wide. The fruit is a dark green squash, rounded or nearly rounded, with mottling and distinct white stripes. The bitter fruit is very distasteful and generally not edible, although a few animals may hesitantly eat the flesh while trying to get at the seeds. Each white seed is about a centimeter long and at 35% protein and 50% fat is a nutritious food.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Cucurbita digitata''Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5192446 digitata Vines Flora of Northwestern Mexico Flora of the Southwestern United States Flora of California Flora of Sonora Flora of the Sonoran Deserts North American desert flora Flora of the California desert regions Natural history of the Peninsular Ranges Plants described in 1853 Taxa named by Asa Gray Squashes and pumpkins