Cucurbita; pumpkin; squash

Japanese: カボチャ(南瓜) - カボチャ（英語表記）Cucurbita; pumpkin; squash

A collective term for several species of annual plants in the Cucurbitaceae family native to America. They are cultivated for food and decoration. The stems are usually vines, and the flowers are large, yellow, and monoecious. The fruits vary in size, shape, and color. They are also rich in starch and sugar and highly nutritious, making them a staple food as well as a vegetable. The name pumpkin comes from Cambodia in Indochina, and its other name, Tounasu, means eggplant from China. There are three main species: Japanese pumpkin C. moschata and chestnut pumpkin C. maxima , both of which are edible, and Kazarikabocha C. pepo , which is edible as well as having small, unusually shaped fruits, which are used for decoration and as offerings.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ウリ科の一年草で，アメリカ原産の数種をまとめていう。食用や観賞用に栽培される。茎は普通つるになり，花は大きく黄色，雌雄同株である。果実は大小，形状，色など変化に富んでいる。またデンプンや糖分に富み栄養価も高いので野菜用とともに主食にもする。カボチャの名はインドシナのカンボジアに由来し，別名の唐茄子 (とうなす) は中国から来たナスという意味である。大別して次の3種がある。ニホンカボチャ C. moschata，クリカボチャ C. maximaはいずれも食用に，またカザリカボチャ C. pepoは食用にするほか果実が小型で形も変ったものが多く，装飾や供え物に使われる。

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