Cucurbita (Latin for gourd) is a genus of vines in the gourd family, native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five species are grown worldwide, variously known as squash, pumpkin, or gourd depending on species, variety, and local parlance. The fruits have played a role in human culture for at least 2,000 years. First cultivated in the Americas before being brought to Europe by returning explorers, the plants remain an important food source. Most Cucurbita species are herbaceous vines that grow several meters in length and have tendrils, but bush cultivars of C. pepo and C. maxima have also been developed. Many North and Central American species are visited by honey bees, as well as specialist bees that pollinate only a single species. Most of the domesticated species can be considered winter squash, since the full- grown fruits can be stored for months. Their extracts have many uses, including in cosmetics for dry and sensitive skin. The fruits are also good sources of vitamins and minerals in foods such as pumpkin pie, biscuits, bread, desserts, puddings, beverages, and soups.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

475:

Romulus Augustulus took the throne as the last ruling emperor of the Western Roman Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romulus_Augustulus

1517:

According to traditional accounts, Martin Luther first posted his Ninety-Five Theses onto the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, present-day Germany, marking the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninety-Five_Theses

1917:

World War I: Allied forces defeated Turkish troops in Beersheba in Southern Palestine at the Battle of Beersheba, often reported as "the last successful cavalry charge in history". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Beersheba_(1917)

1973:

Three Provisional Irish Republican Army members escaped from Mountjoy Prison in Dublin after a hijacked helicopter landed in the prison's exercise yard. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountjoy_Prison_helicopter_escape

2011:

The United Nations declared that the world's population had exceeded seven billion. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7_Billion_Actions

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

zombocalypse: (slang, fiction) The breakdown of society as a result of a zombie outbreak https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zombocalypse

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

If I should die, I have left no immortal work behind me — nothing to make my friends proud of my memory — but I have loved the principle of beauty in all things, and if I had had time I would have made myself remembered.   --John Keats https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/John_Keats