By Brandie Piper

Published Oct. 17, 2015 on Discover.Monsanto.com.

You know that successful cousin you have who always needs to be the center of attention at family reunions? That’s the pumpkin. Pumpkins get all of the praise this time of year, but its close cousin, squash, deserves some love too.

From acorn to butternut to spaghetti, there are many varieties of squash that can be incorporated into delicious recipes. And it has many more popular family members you might recognize, including melons, gourds, and cucumbers. With 845 species, the Cucurbitacae family tree is quite complex.

Here is a look at a small part of the squash family tree:… [continue reading]