Abstract
The centre of origin and domestication of Cucurbita ficifolia is still uncertain. Some views have suggested Central America or southern Mexico as places of origin, while others suggested South America, and more specifically the Andes. Biosystematic studies have been unable to support the Mexican origin suggested by the distribution of common names derived from Nahuatl throughout America. Archaeological vestiges point to a South American origin, since the oldest remains are Peruvian, but biosystematics have not been able to confirm this hypothesis either. It is cultivated in the high valleys of the Andes from Mexico to Chile and also widely cultivated on a small scale elsewhere, even in SE Asia in the cool elevations. The gourd is cultivated in the highlands of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania and is occasionally grown in Angola. In Asia it is grown in India, Japan, Korea and China and in the highlands of the Philippines.
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Lim, T.K. (2012). Cucurbita ficifolia. In: Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1764-0_39
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