Cucurbita digitata – Fingerleaf Gourd

Cucurbita digitata - Fingerleaf Gourd, Finger-leaved Gourd

Cucurbita digitata - Fingerleaf Gourd, Finger-leaved Gourd

Plant Name

Scientific Name: Cucurbita digitata

Common Names: Fingerleaf Gourd, Finger-leaved Gourd

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial

Growth Habit: Vine, Herb/Forb

Arizona Native Status: Native

Habitat: Desert, Upland. It is usually found growing in or along dry, sandy washes or in other areas with loose, dry soil.

Flower Color: Orange-yellow

Flowering Season: Summer

Height: Trailing to 20 feet (6.1 m) long

Description: The flowers open for only a very brief time around dawn, so it can be difficult to capture them blooming. The star-shaped flowers have 5 pointed lobes and are broadly tubular and 2 inches (5 cm) long. The flowers are followed by round, green gourds with vertical, white stripes. The gourds turn yellow and then solid tan as they dry. The leaves are green and palmate with 5 finger-like, white-veined lobes.

Classification

Kingdom: Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision: Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass: Dilleniidae
Order: Violales
Family: Cucurbitaceae – Cucumber family
Genus: Cucurbita L. – gourd
Species: Cucurbita digitata A. Gray – fingerleaf gourd

More About This Plant

Arizona County Distribution Map