Cucurbita maxima

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cucurbita-maxima

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Cucurbita maxima
2. What is the geographic origin?Northern Argentina and Andean valleys, South America
3. Why can Cucurbita maxima grow so big?Its genes let it grow huge, sometimes weighing hundreds of kilograms. Humans have also selected for bigger fruits over time.
4. Where did Cucurbita maxima originally grow?It started in the Andean region of South America, probably in northern Argentina, more than 4,000 years ago.

Phenotypic Diversity: The variety of observable physical or biochemical characteristics within a species or population.
Domestication: The long-term process of selective breeding by humans that transforms wild plants or animals into cultivated forms.
Landrace: A locally adapted, traditional variety of a plant species that has developed over time through natural selection and farmer selection.
Agrobiodiversity: The variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture.