Pumpkin genetic strain grouping questions?

[nao57]

So... I've done a bunch of pumpkins over the years. This year, I've got some small sugar pumpkins, the holden pumpkins (which are based off the jack o lantern strain). And last Year I did those baby style pumpkins. Anyway, the small sugar pumpkin leaves are shaped VERY differently than the holden pumpkin leaves. I thought this odd and thought to ask about it.

The holden pumpkin leaves are basically VERY round with no edges. Like a C shape. The other ones, have like spear points sticking it out (Not sure how to explain this). But they are so different. Also the holden pumpkins are yellow and sort of soft when small and just puff out, while the other ones look hard and green, not soft at all while the pumpkin fruit grows. Then it turns orange. There's more ridging in the puffy shape of the growing holden pumpkins also which the other ones don't have.

So... my hypothesis is that there might be 2 main genetic lines that pumpkins come out of, where the various types probably came out of these 2 lines that must have been separated from each other way back when?

Or... what do you think? Is there another explanation out of this? I'm just very curious why the types of pumpkin species seem to have very different traits, to the point of almost being 2 different species types of groupings? Has anyone seen any information on this?

 

[NatJ]

So... I've done a bunch of pumpkins over the years....

Or... what do you think? Is there another explanation out of this? I'm just very curious why the types of pumpkin species seem to have very different traits, to the point of almost being 2 different species types of groupings? Has anyone seen any information on this?

Not all pumpkins are the same species. There are several species of squash, and pretty much any squash that is round and orange will get called a "pumpkin," no matter what species it actually belongs to. But if the squash is any other shape or color, it gets called by another name, even if it is the same species.

"Small Sugar" is Cucurbita pepo, just like acorn squash, zucchini, and most summer squashes. Some pumkins are Cucurbita maxima, the species that also includes Hubbard Squash (C. maxima pumpkins tend to be the ones winning biggest-pumpkin contests.)

I tried to look up Holden pumpkin with google, but I couldn't find it. If it is spelled right (not messed up by some "helpful" technology or a typo), then maybe it's a rare variety? Or maybe I'm just not doing a good job with the search engine.

Wikipedia does say that Cucurbita pepo can have a wide variety of leaf shapes, so even the same species can have quite a bit of variation. I just got sucked into reading a bunch of wikipedia articles about various squashes...

None of that works out to a complete answer, but apparently no-one else has come up with any better answer in the past 10 days, so maybe this will be a little more useful than nothing.

 

[nao57]

Not all pumpkins are the same species. There are several species of squash, and pretty much any squash that is round and orange will get called a "pumpkin," no matter what species it actually belongs to. But if the squash is any other shape or color, it gets called by another name, even if it is the same species.

"Small Sugar" is Cucurbita pepo, just like acorn squash, zucchini, and most summer squashes. Some pumkins are Cucurbita maxima, the species that also includes Hubbard Squash (C. maxima pumpkins tend to be the ones winning biggest-pumpkin contests.)

I tried to look up Holden pumpkin with google, but I couldn't find it. If it is spelled right (not messed up by some "helpful" technology or a typo), then maybe it's a rare variety? Or maybe I'm just not doing a good job with the search engine.

Wikipedia does say that Cucurbita pepo can have a wide variety of leaf shapes, so even the same species can have quite a bit of variation. I just got sucked into reading a bunch of wikipedia articles about various squashes...

None of that works out to a complete answer, but apparently no-one else has come up with any better answer in the past 10 days, so maybe this will be a little more useful than nothing.

Wow. Amazing. I think your answer is pretty spot on. and it makes sense.

I think the future now... we need to have our own applied skills that let us make the basic needs. The basic needs being; shelter, food, fuel, and clothes. If we can do that it will help a lot for what's ahead.

Thank you very much.