Types of Pumpkins - Big and Small

Also known as the Asian pumpkin, the chilacayote is one of the most used pumpkins in South American cuisine. They are a type of big pumpkin at about 12"/30 cm long with a green skin speckled with white. It is often prepared like a vegetable, but can also be sweetened for traditional desserts. This pumpkin squash grows best in areas without frost. Similar to zucchini flowers, the chilacayote produces large yellow flowers which can be eaten. These are bell-shaped, but only open during the day.

Pumpkin flowers are important for pollination. Learn more with our article on types of pollinating animals.

When many of us say the word ‘pumpkin’, it is this fruit of the species Cucurbita pepo depicted in the photo below which will come to mind. This is because one of the cultivars is the round orange pumpkin which has become associated with Halloween in the United States. They are used both for food and for decorative purposes, especially with the classic Jack-o'-lantern design.

However, this species also contains many different cultivars of this species, both big and small. It contains fruits such as summer squash and zucchini which are very different in terms of appearance and flavor profile. If you want to grow a big pumpkin variety, you can use the affiliate link below:

It is native to America, originating in an area ranging from Mexico to Peru. The butternut squash is one of the most used in that region for consumption, with both the pulp and the seeds commonly being eaten. In Mexico it was domesticated so that it could be used for food. From there it was taken to Europe and even farther afield. In Australia and New Zealand, it is known as the butternut pumpkin.

The butternut squash can be big or small, depending on the variety. However, all are known for their sweet flavor and their use in many fall dishes such as soups, stews or roasts.

It is a pumpkin native to temperate South America. As you can see in the photo below, it often appears similar to the common Cucurbita pepo pumpkin. It can also present in various other colors and can have a knobby texture rather than always being smooth. As their name suggests, these are one of the biggest types of pumpkin you can find. Some have even been grown to a weight of over 1 ton.

The cushaw squash is native to Mesoamerica. This is the variety of pumpkin that is mainly used to obtain the seeds that are used as a dried fruit or snack. This pumpkin is also used to prepare green mole, a type of Mexican sauce made with a various other ingredients. The flowers and pulp are also consumed, but of all the domesticated varieties, it is the least popular outside of the Americas. The fruit has green stripes alternating with white, as shown in the photo below.

Not from the same species as the other types of pumpkin listed here so far, it is native to temperate zones of America. This includes some areas of the United States and further south to Uruguay and Argentina. It is an edible pumpkin, but it is better known because it is used to prepare containers for drinking the typical South American drink called mate. The calabash gourd is thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top. The mate gourd is made only with the bottom part.

In Mexico, the calabash is also allowed to dry and be used as a water bottle. This natural water bottle is known as a guaje. The entire pumpkin is used and only a small part of the top is removed where a dry cork-shaped corn cob is often used. It differs from other pumpkins by belonging to the genus Lagenaria, where the flowers are white and open only at night.

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Most of the species presented on our list of the different types of pumpkin are domesticated, but this is an example of a wild pumpkin. It is originally from Oaxaca, a state in Mexico. The leaves are consumed by locals where it is known as ch'ako. It has types of varied shoots that are collected, but not cultivated. They are called quelites and an important part of the diet of inhabitants of rural areas. It is a relatively small type of pumpkin.

For many the ash pumpkin may not be considered a pumpkin, since it looks more like a melon or cucumber. In fact, it is often known as winter melon. It is not American, but is native to China. Due to this origin, it does not look so much like the typical American pumpkins. The peel is light green and so is the pulp. It is peculiar because it has a waxy coating that serves as a natural preservative, with which it can last up to a year. This fruit measures 50 to 80 cm long.

If you want to learn about other types of plants you can grow at home, you may be interested in our related articles on the different types of spring flower bulbs and the different types of spineless cactus.

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