4 types of Achocha seed

[jayb]

These are the four different types of Achocha seed I have:
Achocha Fat Baby
Achocha Lady's Slipper
Achocha Giant Round seed
Achocha Giant Oblong/Regular seed



I'll try and get an updated picture of the fruits to match the seeds next season.

[clumsy]

Are they different varieties or species, especially the first two?

[jayb]

Same family but 2 species.
I originally bought Fat Baby from Future Foods and they labeled them as Cyclanthera brachystachya. From the bits I've read, it is thought they may have been a selection of the slightly more wild type Exploding Achocha, which is sometimes listed as Cyclanthera explodens, but generally Cyclanthera Brachystachya. Interestingly the Heritage Seeds Library notes it has also been grown in the Caribbean since the 1930s.

The second species is Cyclanthera Pedata, which Lady's Slipper and the Giant types we have been growing belong to (as far as I know). These I guess could be broken down into further selections, and again the individual ones we are growing are all being selected slightly differently to suit our own likes and growing conditions.

[Galina]

I love your photo of the seeds of the different types Jayb. "Our" giant achocha has seeds that look most like other cucurbit seeds.

Ben from Realseeds wrote some time ago that there is quite a lot of confusion and uncertainty about the species and family relations of achocha. Not sure whether he or anybody has got definite clarity on the subject by now.

I may be wrong, but does Fat Baby not have different leaves to the other achocha? Haven't grown them for a long time. Fat baby seeds look almost halfway between the "dead fly" types and squash seeds.

[jayb]

Thanks.

Yes, Fat Baby has a different leaf to the others. I'll try and look some pictures out, but from memory, I think in the early stages you can tell round to regular Giant leaf shape too.