the full-grown fruits can be stored for months. However, C. pepo includes some cultivars that are better used only as summer squash.

Most Cucurbita species are herbaceous vines that grow several meters in length and have tendrils, but non-vining "bush" cultivars of C. pepo and C. maxima have also been developed. The yellow or orange flowers on a Cucurbita plant are of two types: female and male.