Help identifying squash
Hi, everyone – – I’m wondering if I could get some help identifying this type of squash. I grew it in my garden, and the plant seedling was marked as a pattypan squash, which it’s obviously not! The flesh inside is green, and I had to scoop out the innards and seeds before cooking it. The skin seems to be quite thick, like a butternut. I removed it before cooking as well. The flesh is firmer than a zucchini. I included the Sharpie for size comparison.
Thank you!!
Best Answer
My best guess based on your photo is that it's kabocha (aka Japanese pumpkin)
(image source).
But squashes also hybridize pretty easily, so far as I know, so it could be a random hybrid rather than an established variety. Possibly one derived from kabocha or acorn squash.
If you grew this from seed saved from last year's garden squash, it could be that your squashes were hybrids that can't be grown from their own seeds.
Now I noticed you said the flesh is green. That makes kabocha less likely. Maybe a hybrid of kabocha and zucchini, that happened to get the skin and shape of the kabocha and the flesh of the zucchini?
Edit
I've researched further and learned that kabocha is a variety of the cucurbita maxima while zucchini is a variety of cucurbita pepo, two different species, and therefore these two could not hybridize.
However, C. pepo does include both summer and winter squash varieties, so it would be possible to get a hybrid of the two if both parents were varieties of C. pepo. C. pepo includes acorn squash and (some) pumpkins among winter squash varieties, and pattypans, zucchini, crooknecks and many other summer squash varieties.
C. maxima includes kabocha, hubbard squash, and many others. I'm not familiar enough with other maxima varieties to say if there are varieties that are likely parents of your example.
Pictures about "Help identifying squash"
How do I tell what kind of squash I have?
Garden Squash IdentificationSquash leaves mature to be large, green, often hairy and rough. Squash leaves will also present with toothed edges and pucker or wrinkle marginally around the veins. The flowers bloom yellow or orange, are fused near the base and can be large and soft.How do I identify garden squash?
Vining types are typically planted in hills or raised mounds, each containing two or three plants and spaced five to eight feet apart in all directions. Bush types of squash need only two to three feet between plants and are also suitable for growing in large containers, such as half wine barrels.Identifying Squash Plants By Leaves
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