Pumpkin, a sprawling vine and its round, golden-yellow fruit. The pumpkin is closely related to the squash. The fruit is a pepo (berry with a hard rind) containing many flat, white seeds embedded in fibrous pulp. Strained and blended with spices, the pulp is used for pie filling. Pumpkins are also fed to livestock. Large pumpkins traditionally are carved into jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween.
The pumpkin vine is native to America. It was brought into cultivation by the Indians, and no longer grows wild. Pumpkins are grown from seed in well-fertilized, loose soil. The foliage is very sensitive to frost.
Pumpkin is a popular name without an exact botanical meaning. It is applied mainly to certain varieties of Cucurbita pepo and C. moschata of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae.The pumpkin has a hard rind and many flat, white seeds in its fibrous pulp.