The Gem Squash is a trailing or vine cucurbit that bears small, dark green round fruit of about 80 to 100 mm in diameter. The plant bears both female and male flowers and the main pollinators are bees. It is therefore advisable to invest in beehives in or next to the fields. A healthy bee population ensures good and timeous pollination. The plant has a tap root that can descend to 60 cm, although most of the roots are in the top 20 to 30 cm topsoil zone and it is these shallow roots that do most of the work in providing the water and nutrients to the plant and ultimately the fruit. The seeds form in a round cavity in the centre of the fruit.
Uses
Gem squash are boiled and the yellow flesh is eaten as a vegetable. They are also cultivated as a baby vegetable and these are eaten whole.