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- Cucurbitaceae
- Cucurbita
- Cucurbita pepo
Cucurbita pepo — pumpkin
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Facts
Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) includes both pumpkin and several summer squash cultivars. This plant sometimes escapes from vegetable gardens and dump areas. The seeds have medicinal value as a natural antihelminthic (treatment for intestinal worms).
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Flower petal color
- yellow
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Fusion of sepals and petals
- the petals or the sepals are fused into a cup or tube
- Stamen number
- 3
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit length
- 40–900 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Bulbils
- the plant does not appear to have bulbils
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
-
Flowers
- Anther length
- 10 mm
- Calyx symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the calyx (the calyx is radially symmetrical)
- Carpel hairs
- the carpels have no hairs
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Cleistogamous flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on the plan
- Corolla palate
- no
- Corona lobe length
- 0 mm
- Epicalyx
- the flower does not have an epicalyx
- Epicalyx number of parts
- 0
- Filament length
- 15 mm
- Filament surface
-
- NA
- the filament is smooth, with no hairs or scales
- Flower description
- the flower has an inferior ovary, with or without a hypanthium
- Flower diameter
- 70–100 mm
- Flower length
- 50–100 mm
- Flower number
- 1
- Flower petal color
- yellow
- Flower reproductive parts
- the flower has either only pollen- or only seed-producing parts
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Flowers sunken into stem
- no
- Form of style
- the style is lobed at the tip, and unbranched
- Fused stamen clusters
- NA
- Fusion of sepals and petals
- the petals or the sepals are fused into a cup or tube
- Hairs on flower stalk
- the flower stalk has hairs on it
- Horns in hoods (Asclepias)
- NA
- Hypanthium
- the flower has a hypanthium
- Inflorescence one-sided
- the flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches, or occur singly, or in several ranks
- Inner tepals (Rumex)
- NA
- Length of flower stalk
- 30–60 mm
- Marks on petals
- there are no noticeable marks on the petals
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of branches in umbel
- 0
- Number of carpels
- 3
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is below the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Perianth shape
- the perianth is campanulate (bell-shaped, with a tube about as long as wide, flaring at the mouth)
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes two cycles of petal- or sepal-like structures
- Petal and sepal colors
- yellow
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal folds or pleats
- the petals of the flower have folds or plaits on them
- Petal hairs (Viola)
- NA
- Petal length
- 50–100 mm
- Petal length relative to sepals
- the petals are longer than the sepals
- Petal number
- 5
- Petal shape
- the petal outline is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Petal tip shape
-
- the petal tip is acuminate (tapers to a very narrow point)
- the petal tip is acute (sharply pointed)
- Petal tips (Cuscuta)
- NA
- Raceme attachment (Veronica)
- NA
- Reproductive system
- each flower has only carpels or only stamens, but both types of flower are present on each plant (monoecious)
- Scales inside corolla
- no
- Sepal and petal color
- the sepals are different from the petals
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals are green or brown, and leaf-like in texture
- Sepal appendages
- the sepals do not have appendages on them
- Sepal appendages (Oenothera)
- NA
- Sepal color
- green to brown
- Sepal length
- 15–30 mm
- Sepal number
- 5
- Sepal shape
-
- the sepal outline is lanceolate (lance-shaped; narrow, gradually tapering from the base to the tip)
- the sepal outline is linear (extremely narrow, thread-like)
- Sepal uniformity
- all the sepals are about the same size
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are fused to each other (not other flower parts), at least near their bases
- Stamen attachment
- the stamens are not attached to the petals or tepals
- Stamen length
- 25 mm
- Stamen number
- 3
- Stamen position relative to petals
- the stamens are lined up with the sepals
- Stamens fused
-
- the stamens are attached to one another at or near their bases
- the stamens are not attached to one another
- Style petal-like
- the styles are not petal-like
- Surface of ovary
- the ovary surface has no points, bumps or wrinkles
- Umbel flower reproductive parts
- NA
- Upper lip of bilabiate corolla
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene relative orientation
- NA
- Achene shape
- NA
- Achene surface (Polygonum)
- NA
- Achene type
- NA
- Berry color
-
- blue
- green
- orange
- Capsule color (Viola)
- NA
- Capsule ribs
- NA
- Capsule splitting
- NA
- Carpel beak length
- 0 mm
- Fruit (pyxis) dehiscence
- NA
- Fruit beak length
- 0 mm
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is round in cross-section
- Fruit features (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Fruit length
- 40–900 mm
- Fruit locules
- one
- Fruit shape
-
- the fruit is roughly cylindrical (with parallel sides that do not taper, and flat across the top and bottom)
- the fruit is spherical
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Fruit width
- 150–400 mm
- Hair type on fruit
- the hairs on the fruits are simple (not branched), don’t have glands, and are not woolly
- Hairs on fruit
-
- the fruits are not hairy
- the fruits have hairs on them
- Legumes (Fabaceae)
- NA
- Mericarp length
- 0 mm
- Mericarp segment shape (Desmodium)
- NA
- Other markings on berry
- the ripe berries are mostly one color without spots or streaks
- Placenta arrangement
- the plant has parietal placentation, where ovules develop on the wall or slight outgrowths of the wall forming broken partitions within a compound ovary
- Rows of seeds in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit compression
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit segments
- 0
- Seed length
- 20 mm
- Seed relative length
- the seed is longer than it is wide
- Seed surface
- the seed is smooth or without clear markings
- Septum in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- the fruit does not have wings on it
- prickles on fruits
- the fruits do not have thorn-like defensive structures
-
Glands or sap
- Glands on leaf blade
- the leaf blades do not have glandular dots or scales
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
- Sap color
- the sap is clear
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is a vine (it cannot support its own weight)
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Parasitism
- the plant is not parasitic
- Plant color
- the leaves or young stems of the plant are green
- Plants darken when dry
- no
- Spines on plant
- there are spines on the plant
- Underground organs
-
- the plant has one or more swollen storage organs underground, such as bulbs, tubers or corms
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Bracteole number (Apiaceae)
- 0
- Bracts in plantain (Plantago)
- NA
- Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)
- 0 mm
- Final leaf segment length to width ratio (compound lvs only)
- 0
- Final leaf segment width (compound lvs only)
- 0 mm
- Hairs on leaf stalk
- the petiole has hairs on it
- Hairs on underside of leaf
- the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- Hairs on upper side of leaf
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- Hooked hairs on underside of leaf
- no
- Inflated hairs on leaf
- the leaf blade does not have inflated hairs on it
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, has rounded lobes at the base)
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has lobes, or it has both teeth and lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade hairs
- the leaf blade has simple hairs with no glands, and not tangled or wooly
- Leaf blade length
- 150–300 mm
- Leaf blade primary vein pattern
- the major veins radiate out from one point at the base
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they whither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf form
- the leaves are green, with an expanded blade and a leaf-like texture
- Leaf hair orientation
- the hairs are standing up straight or curved in different directions
- Leaf spines
- there are no spines on the leaf edges
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
- the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
- Leaf stalk base
- the petiole base is narrow where it attaches to the stem
- Leaf stalk length
- 60–90 mm
- Leaf teeth and lobes
- the leaf has lobes that radiate from the base, somewhat like a hand
- Leaf tip
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaf types
- NA
- Leaf variation
- the leaves are nearly similar in size, prominence of teeth, and length of stalks throughout the stem
- Leaflet number
- 0
- Leaflet petiolules
- NA
- Leaves per node
- there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Pinnately compound leaf type
- NA
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Stipels
- NA
- Stipule edges
- NA
- Stipule features
- NA
- Stipule fused to leaf stalk
- NA
- Stipule length
- 0 mm
- Stipule shape
- NA
- Stipules
- there are no stipules on the plant
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Branched tendrils
- the tendrils are branched
- Direction of stem hairs
- the hairs point mostly upwards to outwards
- Flowering stem cross-section
-
- the flowering stem has strong or sharp angles, but is not square
- the flowering stem is circular, or with lots of small angles so that it is roughly circular
- Flowering stem width
- Up to 10 mm
- Hair between stem nodes
- the stem has hairs between the nodes
- Hairs between stem nodes
- the hairs on the stem are plain, without glands or branches, and not tangled
- Hooked hairs on stem between nodes
- no
- Leaves on stem
- there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem
- Stem bloom
- there is no powdery or waxy film on the stem
- Stem hair distribution
- the hairs on the stem are distributed more of less uniformly
- Stem orientation
- the stems trail at the base, but may turn upwards at the tips
- Stem roughness between nodes
- the stem feels rough due to hairs or prickles
- Stem spacing
- the plant is solitary, or a few plants are growing together
- Tendril origin
- the tendril is derived from a leaf or leaflet
- Tendrils
- the plant has tendrils
- Wings on stem
- the stem does not have wings on it
Wetland status
Not classified
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- absent
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- not applicable (S-rank: SNA)
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Cucurbita maxima:
- plants rough-pubescent with translucent setae, and leaf blades palmately 3- to 7-lobed (vs. C. pepo, with plants pilose, but not rough-pubescent, and leaf blades not or only inconspicuously lobed).
Synonyms
- Pepo pepo (L.) Britt. ex Small
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
2. Cucurbita pepo L. E
pumpkin. Pepo pepo (L.) Britt. ex Small • CT, MA, NH, VT. Fields, dumps, waste areas, river shores. This species includes several other cultivated plants, including most summer squashes (e.g., pattypan, spaghetti, summer crookneck, zucchini).