Halwa Kaddu / Crooknecked Squash
Cucurbita moschata
Also known as Musk Melon
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- September-June
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cucurbita moschata
- Genus
- Cucurbita
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Garden plant
- Habitat type
- Cultivated
- Native to
- Tropical and subtropical America
- Distribution
- Tropical and Subtropical
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
- Flowering & fruiting
- September-June
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Cucurbitaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Halwa Kaddu itself; the rest are typical of the Cucurbitaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- हलवा कद्दू halwa kaddu, काशीफल kashiphal, मीठा कद्दू mitha kaddu
- Bengali
- কুমড়া kumara
- Tamil
- பூசனி pucani
- Telugu
- గుమ్మడి gummadi
- Kannada
- ಸಿಹಿ ಕುಂಬಳ ಕಾಯಿ sihi kumbala kaayi
- Malayalam
- കുമ്പളം kumpalam, മത്തങ്ങ mattanna
- Marathi
- काळा भोपळा kala bhopala, काशीफळ kashiphal
About Halwa Kaddu
Crooknecked Squash (Cucurbita moschata) is a climber in the Cucurbitaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and 9 other states. It grows in garden plant. Flowering and fruiting run from September to June.
Uses
In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten.

Cucurbitaceae
Cucumber/Gourd family
Halwa Kaddu belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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