Pumpkins: Growing Practices and Nutritional Information

Scientific name of common pumpkins, which are rounded with smooth skin and yellow colour, is Cucurbita pepo. Scientific name of large cultivars of pumpkins and squashes (giant pumpkins) is Cucurbita maxima. Scientific name of winter cultivars of pumpkins and squashes is Cucurbita moschata. Pumpkins are actually a group of squash plants, fruits of which may be small-, medium- or large-sized with round or elongated shape and with smooth or ribbed skin. Fruit colour varies from green to greenish yellow to deep yellow to orange to red color. Fruit has a thick shell which contains seeds and pulp. Numerous pumpkin cultivars are available in the market that varies in shape, size and colour of flesh. Most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including the fleshy shell, pumpkin seeds, the young leaves, and the pumpkin flowers.