{{Short description|Type of summer squash that is usually yellow-colored}} {{Infobox cultivar | name = Straightneck squash | image = CSA-Yellow-Squash.jpg | image_caption = A yellow summer squash | species = ''Cucurbita pepo'' | cultivar = ''C. pepo var. recticollis'' | origin = United States }}
'''Straightneck squash''' is a cultivated variety of ''Cucurbita pepo'' grown as a type of summer squash that is usually yellow-colored. It is also known as '''yellow squash''', though other squashes, such as crookneck squash, may also be known by that name.<ref name="ncsu">{{cite web|url=http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/hil/hil-24-a.html|publisher=North Carolina State University|title=Summer Squash Production|accessdate=November 11, 2014}}</ref> It has mildly sweet and watery flesh, and thin tender skins that can be left on the fruit for many types of recipes. It was almost certainly domesticated in the eastern United States, although other variants of the same species (zucchini and pumpkin) were domesticated in Mesoamerica. This squash grows on vined plants reaching {{convert|60-90|cm|ft|abbr=on}} in height that thrive in mild weather. It is well known as an item in American cooking where it is fried, microwaved, steamed, boiled, or baked. It is often used in recipes interchangeably with zucchini. A good yellow summer squash will be small and firm with tender skin free of blemishes and bruising. It is available all year long in some regions, but is at its peak from early through late summer.<ref name="saade">{{cite web |last1=Saade |first1=R. Lira |last2=Hernández |first2=S. Montes |title=Cucurbits |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/1492/cucurbits.html |publisher=Purdue Horticulture |accessdate=September 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name="mbccp">{{cite web |url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a686/cucurbita-pepo.aspx |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |title=''Cucurbita pepo'' |accessdate=September 2, 2013}}</ref><ref name="heistinger">{{cite book |last=Heistinger |first=Andrea |title=The Manual of Seed Saving: Harvesting, Storing, and Sowing Techniques for Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits |publisher=Timber Press |location=Portland, OR|year=2013 |page=278 |isbn=978-1-60469-382-9}}</ref> One similar inedible ''C. pepo'' variety is ''C. pepo'' var. ''ovifera''.<ref name="decker">{{cite journal | last1 = Decker | first1 = Deena S. | last2 = Wilson | first2 = Hugh D. | year = 1987 | title = Allozyme Variation in the ''Cucurbita pepo'' Complex: ''C. pepo'' var. ''ovifera'' vs. ''C. texana'' | journal = Systematic Botany | volume = 12 | issue = 2 | pages = 263–273 | publisher = American Society of Plant Taxonomists | jstor = 2419320 | doi = 10.2307/2419320}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Squashes and pumpkins}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straightneck squash}} Category:Squashes and pumpkins
{{vegetable-stub}}