Sir, The more i read the more it gets complicated to conclude. I surely would follow the plants in my home. We eat its leaf as SHAG/SHAK (significantly rough & bland tasted compared to Indian spinach) and the fruits as vegetable. We do not prepare any pumpkin-HALWA and the same can be said about my friends/neighbour.
Meanwhile, it has grooved/sulcate peduncle of *pepo* (Hooker & Haines), prickly (*pepo*, Hooker), but, 1) leaves are not deeply five-lobed (Prain) 2) problem of sepal, 3) doubt over if petiole can be called pungent (*pepo*, Prain). Herbarium in the net is not helpul - 1. http://linnean-online.org/view/collection/linnean=5Fherbarium/Cucurbita.html 2. http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/SpecimenDetails.aspx?PlantID=428 Thank you, Regards, surajit On Wed, Nov 6, 2013 at 10:02 AM, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > Please follow them till maturity to resolve. Here in Delhi there are two > types of fruits sold in the market. Those looking similar to yours sold as > petha (most commonly) or kadu or safed kadu (some as Sita phal) and cooked > as vegetable. These are globose, dark green with white lines or patches, > almost flat or depressed top. The second is sold almost yellow in colour > (second photograph in my book), elongated, almost oblong and up to 80 cm > long, mostly sold as Sita phal, cooked as vegetable but more commonly as > sweet halwa. Inititially I had thought them to be two different species, > former as C. pepo and latter as C. moschata, but latter changed my mind > after seeing wide range of fruits in the market and images of ayote squash > on the net and its description in Vegetable crops by Balakrishnan. > As I wrote earlier may be you will be able to give me a clear picture > after studying your vines in detail and following up fruits till maturity. > > > > Dr. Gurcharan Singh > Retired Associate Professor > SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 > Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. > Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 > http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ > http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ > > > On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 10:14 PM, surajit koley < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Sir, >> >> There are three vines growing in our home. From ground they climb to the >> roof of our store room as can be seen in the newly attached first pic. >> There. on the roof, they remain prostrate. They are intertwined so closely, >> firmly gripping each other with their tendrils, it is hard to separate them >> and follow individually. >> >> Yet, i rechecked thoroughly this afternoon. All bearing - >> >> - same leaves, no white patch on any, petiole prickly >> - mature stem of all very prickly >> - leaf upper surface very scabrous, lower surface hairy, but not >> scabrous >> - two plants bear fruit; fruits are same, peduncle grooved, somewhat >> woody (not sure, maybe corky instead) >> >> As for *sepals* it is the most confusing part. Of all the flowers i have >> examined only 3 or 4 have somewhat foliaceous sepals at the tip. But, this >> foliaceous part is variable (pic xx399 in this latest record), one having >> distinct while another is narrow wing like along the linear sepal. >> >> Surely *the fruits can be said xerox copies of your photograph in page >> 53 of your book. Also the leaves in page 51.* >> *Also, it can be said that my plant(s), except for sepal confusion, is a >> copy of the illustration in FoC >> <http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=119692&flora_id=2>.* >> >> On the other hand all the three plants certainly oppose the record of *C. >> moschata* by Dr. Haines, "The species is easily recognised by its >> general softness,.." >> But, then i might be very wrong, perhaps *C. pepo* is much more >> harsh-rigid-prickly than i am thinking of. >> >> Thank you, >> >> Regards, >> >> surajit >> >> >> >> On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 10:33 AM, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]>wrote: >> >>> Surajit ji >>> If this particular plant is at a place where you can follow it up, you >>> may be able to solve the mystery. Your photograph 312 does not show any >>> foliaceous calyx lobes, but 336 shows clearly foliaceous. Are they are from >>> the same vine?, if not keep track of them. Your image 323 shows the swollen >>> tip of peduncle slightly separated from fruit base as also shown on page 53 >>> of my book. This is one aspect you can perhaps sort out before next >>> printing of my book. I have depicted both types of fruits in my book. Two >>> things that kept me away from Cucucurbita pepo are first leaves not lobed >>> (All plants of C. pepo I have seen in California including Zucchini which >>> is now grown in India have deeply lobed leaves). Besides Book Vegetable >>> Crops by Balakrishnan mentions only chapan kadu as member of C. pepo >>> cultivated in India. >>> >>> Perhaps you have a very challenging assignment. >>> >>> Dr. Gurcharan Singh >>> Retired Associate Professor >>> SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 >>> Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. >>> Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 >>> http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ >>> http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ >>> >>> >>> On Tue, Nov 5, 2013 at 9:56 AM, surajit koley < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> Good morning Sir >>>> >>>> Attaching photographs male & female flower, fruit, leaves, sepals, >>>> petiole, peduncle/pedicel. Leaf stalk is prickly, petiole sometimes longer >>>> than lamina. Petiole odorous but not intense. >>>> >>>> Thank you, >>>> >>>> Regards, >>>> >>>> surajit >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> On Mon, Nov 4, 2013 at 10:26 PM, surajit koley < >>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Sir, >>>>> >>>>> I am attaching records from Dr. Prain, Dr. Haines, FBI & FI. It is >>>>> interesting to not that while Dr. Haines thinks *C. melopepo* L. is >>>>> synonymous with *C. pepo* DC, Dr, Prain & Dr. Hooker think otherwise. >>>>> >>>>> The leaves (not photographed yet) of this plant are harsh, and the >>>>> entire plant is somewhat prickly. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> *C. pepo* DC >>>>> *C. pepo* Willd. iv. 609 *C. moshcata* Duchesne >>>>> *C. melopepo.* Willd. iv. 610. *C. maxima* Duchesne Prain >>>>> >>>>> rigid, pungent hairs on the beneath of petiole; leaves deeply five >>>>> lobed; >>>>> >>>>> calyx lobes narrow subulate leaf stalk hairy all over, but not >>>>> pungent or rigid hair; >>>>> >>>>> calyx lobes broad spathulate, leafy >>>>> leaf stalk hairy all over, but not pungent or rigid hair; >>>>> >>>>> calyx lobes narrow-subulate Haines leaves harsh, rigid, acute lobed; >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> peduncles sulcate; >>>>> >>>>> corolla narrowed at base, with erect lobes leaves soft, indumentum >>>>> fine & soft; >>>>> >>>>> peduncle pentagonal, >>>>> expanded below the fruit; >>>>> >>>>> sepals often foliaceous leaves harsh, rigid, rounded lobed; >>>>> >>>>> peduncle not sulcate; >>>>> >>>>> corolla lobes curved outwards FBI prickly rigid hair on the beneath >>>>> of the petiole; >>>>> >>>>> peduncle woody, strongly grooved; >>>>> >>>>> hairs of the petiole not pungent; >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> ---------------- >>>>> >>>>> calyx segments spathulate or foliaceous hairs of the petiole not >>>>> pungent; >>>>> >>>>> peduncle stout corky, striated, not grooved; >>>>> >>>>> calyx segments lanceolate-linear FI fruit sub-cylindric, both ends >>>>> obtuse, suface very even fruit roundish, smooth, torulose ----------- >>>>> >>>>> It is very confusing. >>>>> >>>>> Thank you, >>>>> >>>>> Regards, >>>>> >>>>> surajit >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Mon, Nov 4, 2013 at 2:07 PM, Gurcharan Singh <[email protected]>wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Surajit ji >>>>>> This fruit had confused me a lot, initially I had also thought it to >>>>>> be C. pepo, but after I saw some older fruits, I noticed features of C. >>>>>> moschata. >>>>>> >>>>>> Dr. Gurcharan Singh >>>>>> Retired Associate Professor >>>>>> SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 >>>>>> Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018. >>>>>> Phone: 011-25518297 Mob: 9810359089 >>>>>> http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ >>>>>> http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/ >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Sun, Nov 3, 2013 at 9:33 PM, surajit koley < >>>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> This one is growing on the roof of our storeroom. It seems to be the >>>>>>> *Cucurbita >>>>>>> pepo >>>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/indiantreepix/mQuQIkIuzns>*, >>>>>>> but is it *C. pepo* L.? >>>>>>> Both in "Bengal Plants" and in Flora of British India it had been >>>>>>> cited as *C. pepo* DC. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Thank you, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Regards >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>>>> Groups "efloraofindia" group. >>>>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, >>>>>>> send an email to [email protected]. >>>>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>>>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. >>>>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "efloraofindia" group. 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