Definition

Wild and domesticated members of the New World genus Cucurbita L. (Cucurbitaceae) are typically referred to as “gourds,” “pumpkins,” and “squashes.” The mature fruit of wild plants, technically called a pepo, has gourdlike qualities like a tough rind and dry flesh. These same qualities have led to the term “ornamental gourds” for various cultivars of Cururbita pepo L. that are grown for their decorative but inedible fruits. However, the common name for the domesticated Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché is “fig-leaf gourd,” even though the fleshy fruits are cultivated for human consumption. Because another genus of the Cucurbitaceae, Lagenaria L., is considered the true gourd, it is preferable to refer to members of Cucurbita differentially, which leads us to the terms “pumpkin” and “squash.”

Pumpkin comes from the Old English word “pompion,” which is itself derived from the Greek pepon and the Latin pepo that together mean a large, ripe, round melon or gourd. Traditionally, “pumpkin” has been used to describe those cultivars of Cururbita argyrosperma Huber, Cururbita maxima Lam., Cururbita moschata (Lam.) Poir., and C. pepo that produce rotund mature fruits used in baking and for feeding livestock.

“Squash,” by contrast, is a term derived from the New England aboriginal word “askutasquash,” meaning vegetables eaten green. It was used during the seventeenth century to designate cultivars, usually of C. pepo, grown for their edible immature fruits, and by the nineteenth century, called “summer squashes.” “Winter squashes,” in contrast, are the mature fruits of C. argyrosperma, C. maxima, C. moschata, and C. pepo that store well and are not usually round; they are prepared as vegetables, baked into pies, or used as forage. Although “winter squashes” are supposed to differ from “pumpkins” in having a milder taste and flesh of a finer grain, the truth is that these culinary categories overlap, adding to the confusion in nomenclature. For the purposes of this discussion, the generic “squash” will refer to all wild and domesticated members of Cucurbita.