wild squash?

[polyhymnia]

i went hiking the other day in Calabasas, in Malibu state park and saw that the plants I had earlier identified as some kind of squash had produced fruit. It's round, about the size of baseball, though probably not ripe, with a base of creamy light green with big stripes of darker green. Anyone know what this is? Can I eat it?

[toshoyo]

I too have found those squashes (I'm in Woodland Hills near Calabasas) and I figured out that they are pretty-much as big as they are going to get when they are that baseball size you described (I figured it out by seeing some dead shells around none of which were larger than that). Also, I broke one open and found it to be stringy like a combination of pumpkin and butter nut squash. It also has pumpkin like seeds. Basically, I'm wondering if you ever figured out if these things are edible or not. I'm pretty sure they are not Cayote Squash as described because they look nothing like them. More like a small watermelon on the outside appearance. How'd it go? did you ever try to eat one?

[jumpingmonk]

sound like buffalo gourd, thats round and creamy white with green stripes. and not you can't eat it it's full of saponins (the settlers sometime sused it for soap).

[Sam Fujisaka]

Funny that you would find them in Calabasas. Just might be edible. The park people would have a botanist somewhere to let you know.

[babette feasts]

Isn't calabaza Spanish for squash/pumpkin? A-ha!

[kare_raisu]

I belive its called cayote squash - I have seen them in CA and SOuthern utah - not sure as to edibility.

[Cheese Boy]

What color are the flowers ?