Squash, Summer Squash, Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo var. cylindrica

Zucchini is an annual, warm-season vegetable in the Cucurbitaceae family, and likely both the most popular summer squash variety in the United States and the most economically important summer squash worldwide.

Zucchini fruits come in a range of colors depending on variety, including dark green, medium green, light green, gray, yellow to gold, orange, yellow-orange, multi-colored, and striped.

"Courgette" is a French name for zucchini; when used in the United States, the word usually refers to very small zucchini fruit, about the size of a cigar; and may also refer to yellow summer squash. "Marrow" is an English name for zucchini that usually refers to zucchini fruits grown large or to semi-maturity.

Summer squash is native to North America; zucchini's ancestors were cultivated in the Americas for at least several thousand years before Indians introduced squash to Columbus. Summer squash has been grown in Europe since the Renaissance; however, zucchini as a distinct form of summer squash is believed to have originated in the late 1800s near Milan, Italy, and was widely cultivated in Italy by the late 19th Century. A modern variety of an ancient vegetable, zucchini hopped back over the pond to return to its original native range in the early 1900s when it was brought to California by Italian immigrants. Zucchini did not become popular throughout the United States for home gardening until the mid-to-late 20th Century.

Sun/Shade Needs (5)
Watering Needs once Established (4)
Heat Tolerance (4)
Frost (1)
Price (1)
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