Zucchini

Zucchini or courgette
A striped and a regular zucchini
Species	Cucurbita pepo

Zucchini (/zuːˈkiːniː/) or courgette (/kʊərˈʒɛt/, British English) is a summer squash which can reach nearly a meter in length, but is usually harvested immature at 15–25 cm. In the British Isles, a fully grown zucchini is referred to as a marrow.

Along with certain other squashes and pumpkins, it belongs to the species Cucurbita pepo. Zucchini can be dark or light green. A related hybrid, the golden zucchini, is a deep yellow or orange color.

In a culinary context, zucchini is treated as a vegetable; it is usually cooked and presented as a savory dish or accompaniment. Botanically, zucchinis are fruits, a type of botanical berry called a "pepo", being the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower.

Zucchini, like all squash, has its ancestry in the Americas. However, the varieties of squash typically called "zucchini" were developed in northern Italy in the second half of the 19th century, many generations after the introduction of cucurbits from the Americas in the early 16th century.