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Plants

pumpkin

Cucurbita moschata Duchesne

Family: Cucurbitaceae · Genus: Cucurbita

winter squash, butternut squash

Placenta I Ground cover No biomass production
Pablo Cauã da Silva Toledo · CC BY · iNaturalist

Annual creeping cucurbit. Pasini lists it in the medium stratum of Tabela 3 and in the 'up to 6 months' phase of Tabela 4 (low stratum). The Bosque de Niebla Guidebook places it as a typical Placenta I species in the low stratum. Covers the soil and yields edible fruit in ~4 months.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta I
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
Ground cover
Strata
Ground cover, Low
Biomass class
No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
5.5–6.8
Preferred soil texture
Sandy, Loamy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
10–11
Frost tolerance
0.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
0.3–0.5 m
Recommended spacing
1.5–3 m
Root system
Taproot
Root depth
Medium
Growth rate
Very fast
Lifespan
≤ 1 year
Time to first harvest
4 months

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Pumpkin takes the Ground cover stratum in the Placenta I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

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Emergent High Medium Low Ground cover · ≈1 m

🪴 Cultivation

Needs a warm, sunny, sheltered position in rich, fertile, well-drained soil; tolerates light, medium and heavy soils. Develops a taproot to about 1 m with an extensive root system, but the roots are sensitive to excess water and do not tolerate waterlogging. Flowers about 35 days after sowing; a monoecious, indeterminate plant with vines reaching up to 6 m.

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of pumpkin?

The first harvest of pumpkin comes around 4 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for pumpkin?

The recommended spacing for pumpkin is 1.5–3 m.

How tall does pumpkin grow?

At maturity, pumpkin reaches 0.3–0.5 m tall.

What stage and stratum does pumpkin occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, pumpkin belongs to the placenta i stage, occupying the ground cover stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit Ground cover

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Pasini, F. & Guimarães, L. (2017) — Tabela 3 (Incaper) , p. 116 (primary_stratum)
  2. Bosque de Niebla (2019) — Syntropic Farming Guidebook, Consortium Based on Stratum and Succession Level , p. 18 (gotsch_stage, primary_stratum)
  3. Plants For A Future (PFAF) — Cucurbita moschata (ph_min, ph_max, hardiness_zone_min, hardiness_zone_max, frost_tolerance_c, soil_texture_preference, waterlogging_tolerance, light_need, cultivation_notes)
  4. Useful Tropical Plants — Cucurbita moschata (root_system, root_depth, spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m, waterlogging_tolerance)
  5. Embrapa Hortaliças — Recomendações técnicas para o cultivo de abóboras e morangas (Circular Técnica 175, 2021) (cultivation_notes, growth_rate)
  6. Flora e Funga do Brasil — Cucurbita moschata Duchesne (scientific_author, biomes)

External references

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