''Cucurbita palmata'' is a species of flowering plant in the squash family known by the common names coyote melon and coyote gourd. 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 digitata'' and all these species hybridize readily. It was first identified by

Sereno Watson Sereno Watson (December 1, 1826 – March 9, 1892) was an American botanist. Life Watson was born on December 1, 1826, in East Windsor Hill, Connecticut. Graduating from Yale in 1847 in biology, he drifted through various occupations unt ...

in 1876. 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. palmata'' is native to northeastern

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 ...

, southeastern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and southwestern

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 ...

to a point near the

Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...

. 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. palmata'' fruits are diffuse green mottle that turns yellow at maturity, striped, and round.

Description

''Cucurbita palmata'' is a sprawling vine with rough, stiff-haired stems and leaves. The dark green, light-veined leaves are 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 ...

with usually five long triangular points. These vines spring up from a perennial

tuber Tubers are a type of enlarged structure that plants use as storage organs for nutrients, derived from stems or roots. Tubers help plants perennate (survive winter or dry months), provide energy and nutrients, and are a means of asexual reproduc ...

weighing up to two hundred pounds ( 91 kilograms). The stiff, curling yellow flowers are 6 to 8 centimeters wide. The plant bears smooth spherical or

oblate In Christianity (specifically the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person associated with a Benedictine monastery or convent who is specifically dedicated to God and service. Oblates are i ...

squash fruits 8 to 10 centimeters wide. The fruits may be bright yellow to dark green and may have white stripes. The rind is hard and thins with age. With a very bitter flavor the fruits are inedible, though Native Americans used them for soap and also ground the seeds to use as food. Dried gourds were also used as rattles for traditional dance ceremonies.

References

External links

Jepson Manual Treatment: ''Cucurbita palmata''''Cucurbita palmata'' — U.C. Photo gallery
palmata Flora of California Flora of Nevada Flora of Arizona Flora of Baja California Flora of Sonora Flora of the California desert regions Flora of the Sonoran Deserts Natural history of the Mojave Desert Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Plants described in 1876 Squashes and pumpkins {{Cucurbitales-stub