Cucurbita maxima, one of at least five species of cultivated squash, is one of the most diverse domesticated species. This species originated in South America from the wild subspecies Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana over 4,000 years ago. Cucurbita maxima, known for modern varieties as Hubbard, Delicious, Marblehead, Boston Marrow, and Turks Turban, originated in northern Argentina near the Andes or in certain Andean valleys. Secondary centers of diversity include India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the southern Appalachians.
Different squash types of this species were introduced into North America as early as the 16th century. By the American Revolution, the species was in cultivation by Native American tribes throughout the present-day United States. By the early 19th century, at least three varieties are known to have been commercially introduced in North America from seeds obtained from Native Americans.
Types
Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana fruits (top), plant in the middle of the season (middle) and fruits left at the end of the season (bottom). The opaque ones are fruits left on earlier seasons from a different plant on the same place.
Different fruit types of C. maxima subsp. andreana from Argentina
As of October 2024, Cucurbita andreana is accepted as a separate species by some sources, and a subspecies of C. maxima by others. It was first formally described by Charles Victor Naudin in 1896, in Revue Horticole. It is native to Argentina and Uruguay and is the ancestor of the domesticated forms. C. andreana fruits are smaller and not palatable. It hybridizes readily with individuals of other C. maxima subspecies.
C. maxima subsp. andreana has notably different calcium levels than individuals of other C. maxima subspecies. C. andreana has yellow flowers and bright green striped fruit. Extrafloral nectaries are present in C. maxima but not necessarily in C. andreana.
