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Autumn Wings

Autumn Wings Small Gourd

(100 days) Cucurbita pepo var. ovifera Open-pollinated. These are to gourds as the 1957 Cadillac was to cars. They have a double set of fins or wings. The car makers claimed aerodynamic advantages for their design; the gourd breeders make no such assertion. Both the gourd and the car are highly conspicuous. Autumn Wings’ colors, a vivid mix of greens, yellows, creams and whites, make them even more so. Some of these gourds are straight necked and others are curved. They vary in size, too, one half small, one quarter medium and the remainder in the large 6–8" range. We stop short of claiming them to be the Cadillac of gourds, but bet they’ll make a good roadside stand attraction. ②


1957 Autumn Wings
Item Discounted
Price
A: 1/8oz for $2.70  
B: 1/4oz for $5.00  
C: 1/2oz for $8.50  
D: 1oz for $16.00  
E: 4oz for $48.00  
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Additional Information

Cucurbita pepo  

One of the oldest domesticated species. Pepo derives from the Greek pepon, meaning ‘ripened by the sun.’ They have hard 5-sided ribbed stems, and fruits are usually ribbed. They also include summer squashes and small gourds, as well as some pumpkins.

Gourds

Ornamental gourds avg, 500 seeds/oz; Luffa avg 280 seeds/oz; Hardshell gourds avg 120–200 seeds/oz. Gourds come in two major categories (Luffa is a third). The small ones are Cucurbita pepo var. ovifera, known as ornamental gourds for their variety of shapes, colors and surfaces. These vigorous viners will usually mature in our climate if direct-seeded. The larger ones are Lagenaria siceraria or hardshell gourds, named from the Greek lagenos, ‘a flask,’ and sicera, ‘an intoxicating drink.’ Lagenaria, though lacking the color range of their smaller cousins, fascinate with their magical shapes.