Why is the 'Table Queen' dark green?

By Chelsie Vandaveer

November 20, 2003

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The acorn squash (Cucurbita pepo Linnaeus variety pepo cultivar 'Acorn') is a member of a complex and somewhat confusing family, the Cucurbitaceae or cucurbits. The family is worldwide with 114 genera. The genus, Cucurbita, is native to the New World and has nine or so species. Cucurbit fruit or "pepos" are fleshy, many-seeded berries commonly called squashes, pumpkins, melons, cucumbers, or gourds.

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Horticulturally speaking, acorn squash is a winter squash, a squash used at maturity unlike summer squashes, i.e. zucchini, which are eaten at an immature stage. Winter squashes do not belong to any particular species; they are cultivated varieties (cultivars) of four species of Cucurbita. Pumpkins are generally considered round, ribbed, orange-skinned varieties of winter squashes, but there are white and even blue pumpkins. (Hortus Third, Staff of Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium, Cornell University, 1976)

The cultivar 'Table Queen' is an old variety of acorn squash. It is closely related to a pepo considered a pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo variety pepo cultivar 'Connecticut Field'). The 'Connecticut Field' pumpkin matures round and orange; the 'Table Queen' squash matures acorn-shaped and deep green.

The mature deep green color of 'Table Queen' is dependent upon inheritance of one of two dominant (Mo-1 and Mo-2) alleles of the color gene. The recessive genes are designated mo-1 and mo-2. For the fruit to be dark green, the seed that grew the vine that bore the fruit had to have inherited either one or both dominant alleles. But if the seed inherited both recessive genes, its vine will bear fruit that matures orange. ("Genes for developmental fruit coloration of acorn squash", H.S. Paris, Journal of Heredity, 1997) Many 'Table Queen' acorn squashes appear to have inherited one dominant and one recessive, the fruit maturing deep green with a small spot or two of orange.

Quick and Easy Baked Acorn Squash
(one squash equals two servings)

Wash, remove stem, split and remove seeds and fibers from the acorn squash. Bake face down on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until tender. OR pierce the skin in several places and microwave for five or so minutes until tender, then split and remove seeds and fiber from the center.

Turn squash halves face up and very lightly salt. Add several pats of butter, sprinkle with two or three tablespoons of brown sugar, and add pieces of English walnuts or pecans to the hollow of the squash. Return to a 350 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until bubbly. Garnish with walnut or pecan halves.

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