Kingdom Plantae Clade Eudicots Order Cucurbitales Rank Species | Clade Angiosperms Clade Rosids Family Cucurbitaceae | |
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Similar Cucurbita ecuadorensis, Cucurbita okeechobeensis, Cucurbita digitata, Cucurbita texana, Cucurbita californica | ||
Cucurbita andreana is a plant species of the genus Cucurbita., since 1982 in the rank of a C. maxima subspecies, C. maxima subsp. andreana, the wild relative of C. maxima subsp. maxima cultivated subspecies. It is native to Argentina and Uruguay. C. andreana fruits are smaller and not palatable, those of C. maxima (or C. maxima subsp. maxima) are bigger and palatable.
The species Cucurbita maxima originated in South America from wild C. andreana over 4,000 years ago. The two species hybridize quite readily but have noticeably different calcium levels. C. andreana has yellow flowers and bright green striped fruit. It prefers full sun and well drained soil. Extrafloral nectaries are present in C. maxima but not necessarily in C. andreana.
The species was formally described by Charles Victor Naudin in 1896, in Revue Horticole.