Pumpkins are most commonly characterized as holiday vegetables. They are commonly associated with having a round shape, bright orange skin, and sweet flesh. Though there is a common image that most people associate with a pumpkin plant, there is a broad variety of pumpkin plants around the world.
With so many different pumpkin varieties, it can be difficult to know which is which and what each pumpkin plant has to offer.
To give you a better idea of the different types of pumpkins out there, we’ll share a list of some of the most exciting and unique pumpkin plant varieties.
Kabocha Pumpkin
The Kabocha pumpkin is a Japanese variety of the pumpkin family, scientifically known as Cucurbita maxima. This pumpkin weighs around 2 to 3 pounds on average. The Kabocha pumpkin is commonly used for cooking. When roasted it offers a deliciously sweet flavor that is similar to that of butternut squash.
It also has a similar sweetness and texture to sweet potato and is considered to be a combination of both a pumpkin and a sweet potato. The Kabocha pumpkin has a unique appearance that consists of a hard outer skin that has a dark green appearance with a rough and dull texture. Unlike many pumpkins, the Kabocha pumpkin rind is edible.
Cheese Pumpkin
The famous Cheese pumpkin is a pumpkin that received its unique name as a result of its cheese-like appearance. This pumpkin often consists of light yellow skin with a smooth and even and lightly-ribbed texture that bears resemblance to a cheese wheel.
The Cheese pumpkin weighs on average around 10 pounds. Cheese pumpkins are commonly used in cooking and are considered a great ingredient for making pies. This unique pumpkin offers a sweet, creamy, earthy, and slightly savory flavor that makes for a distinct flavor.
The pumpkin is known to contain a high sugar level and is considered to be nutritionally rich. Like many other pumpkins, the cheese pumpkin takes around 106 days to mature.
Blue Pumpkin
The Blue Doll Pumpkin gets its name from its unique pale grey-blue rind. This pumpkin stands out from other pumpkins, not just for its distinctive blue color, but also for its deep ribbing. This is a pumpkin that doesn’t go unnoticed. It can weigh between 15 to 20 pounds.
The Blue Doll Pumpkin grows on incredible long vines. Like many other pumpkins, they take on average about 100 days to fully mature and ripen. With a uniquely colored rind, you’d expect its flesh to also contain a distinct appearance, however, the inside of the pumpkin consists of bright orange flesh.
This pumpkin is commonly used in cooking. It contains a subtle sweetness that makes it a great ingredient for using to make savory dishes such as soups and pasta dishes.
The Jack O’Lantern Pumpkin
The Jack O’Lantern pumpkin stands to be one of the most common pumpkin varieties used around the world. The pumpkin consists of a classic pumpkin appearance with a bright orange rind and a dark green stalk. This pumpkin can most commonly be found to come in the shape of an oval and it weighs on average around 5 pounds and takes roughly between 90 to 120 days to fully mature.
The Jack O’Lantern pumpkin is recognized for its uniquely soft and thin skin and containing less flesh than most other pumpkins. These characteristics make this pumpkin ideal for pumpkin carving as is a great pumpkin to use for cooking. With a distinctive sweet taste, the Jack O’Lantern pumpkin is frequently used for cooking to make everything from soups to pies and curries.
Peanut Pumpkin
The Peanut pumpkin, also scientifically known as Galeux d’Eysine, is characterized as a variety of heirloom pumpkin as it is considered to be larger than a winter pumpkin and consists of a unique appearance. This pumpkin consists of a noticeably distinctive appearance of peanut-like growths scattered across its pale-pink rind.
Many consider this pumpkin variety to be unattractive, however, despite its unique appearance, the Peanut pumpkin offers a sweet flesh that is commonly used for cooking. Its sweet and juicy flesh is great for using to make sweet treats such as pies, and desserts. This pumpkin can weigh anywhere from 10 to 12 pounds and it takes on average around 105 days to fully mature.
Crookneck Pumpkin
The Crookneck pumpkin originates from Central and Southern America. This unique pumpkin variety consists of a distinctive curved appearance. The Crookneck pumpkin’s appearance is similar to that of butternut squash with a smooth rind, tanned yellow skin, and pale orange flesh.
On average, this pumpkin can weigh anywhere between 4 to 20 pounds. This pumpkin variety can grow efficiently in hot and humid climates and is easy to grow. The Crookneck pumpkin is commonly used for cooking and making baked goods. It is frequently used as an ingredient in pies due to its sweet and distinctive pumpkin flavor.
Crown Prince Pumpkin
The Crown Prince pumpkin, also scientifically known as Cucurbita pepo, is winter squash. It originated from New Zealand and quickly became a popular pumpkin variety in Australia due to its unique taste and its long storing capability. This pumpkin weighs on average between 6 to 9 pounds.
The Crown Prince pumpkin consists of a unique appearance. It features a thick pale blue-grey skin and bright orange flesh. The Crown Prince pumpkin contains a unique and distinctive sweet and nutty flavor. Its flavor makes it one of the most popular pumpkin varieties. Due to its distinctive taste, the Crown Prince pumpkin is commonly used for cooking or making desserts such as pies.
Styrian Pumpkin
The Styrian pumpkin is most widely recognized for its unique seeds. Also known as the naked-seed pumpkin, the Styrian pumpkin originates from Austria. This pumpkin takes on average around 90 to 120 days to mature. This unique pumpkin features a yellow and green striped pattern that extends from the top of the pumpkin to the bottom.
Inside the pumpkin contains a pale yellow flesh that consists of distinctive edible green, hull-less seeds that contain an orange pulp. These pumpkins are most commonly used for their seeds as the seeds contain a sweet and nutty flavor and they are considered to contain a high, healthy oil content. These seeds are commonly eaten raw or roasted.
Along with the edible seeds, the Styrian pumpkin’s flesh also contains a distinctive flavor and is frequently used for cooking. This sweet, nutty, and earthy flavor makes it ideal for roasting and using for baking.
Wart Pumpkin
The Wart pumpkin, also known as the knucklehead pumpkin originated from Holland. This pumpkin on average weighs around 12 to 16 pounds but can weigh up to 20 pounds. This pumpkin takes around 100 to 110 days to fully mature.
The Wart pumpkin is known for its distinctive appearance that features bright orange skin covered in protrusions known as knuckleheads that either appear as orange or green wart-like bumps. With its unique appearance, the Wart pumpkin is a great pumpkin for using as a decorative pumpkin on holidays such as Halloween.
This unique pumpkin variety also consists of a deliciously sweet and mild orange flesh that is great for roasting, baking, or using in salads.
Flat White Boer Pumpkin
The Flat White Boer pumpkin contains a unique appearance that features a distinctive and attractive pure white skin that offers deliciously sweet and aromatic orange flesh which is ideal for use to make baked goods. The Flat White Boer pumpkin originates from South Africa and can grow up to an impressive 30 pounds.
The pumpkin consists of a flat shape that makes it ideal for stacking to enable easy storage. The pumpkin takes on average around 120 days to fully mature. Its soft white and dense rind makes this attractive pumpkin a widely popular choice for use as a decorative pumpkin during holiday seasons such as Halloween and Christmas.
Trombone Pumpkin
The Trombone pumpkin is another unique pumpkin variety. This pumpkin is characterized as a popular old pumpkin variety. This pumpkin features a distinctive curved shape that resembles the shape of a trombone. This pumpkin is also known as gramma and is considered a summer squash.
This pumpkin consists of soft, golden, orange, and green skin with a deep-yellow color flesh. The Trombone pumpkin’s flesh contains a sweet flavor that makes it a great choice of pumpkin for use for cooking. Thai pumpkin takes on average between 90 to 110 days to fully mature.
Ash Gourd Pumpkin
The Ash Gourd pumpkin is also scientifically known as Benincasa hispida. This pumpkin is native to Southern Asia and has been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese traditional medicine for centuries. The Ash Gourd pumpkin is a significant pumpkin variety that is commonly recognized for its unique properties and distinctive flavor.
This pumpkin consists of a mild flavor that resembles the taste of fresh cucumber. Its exterior resembles that of a watermelon both in its texture and shape. It is also recognized for its beneficial plant compounds. This is a pumpkin that is exceptionally low in calories and carbs and rich in fiber and nutrients.
This pumpkin is commonly used as a vegetable for aiding weight loss. The Ash Gourd pumpkin on average takes around 45 to 100 days to fully mature.
Full Moon Pumpkin
The Full Moon pumpkin is a pumpkin variety whose name derives from its size and appearance. This is a pumpkin that can weigh anywhere between 60 to 90 pounds. The pumpkin consists of creamy white skin that consists of a smooth texture and narrow rinds that resemble a full moon when it reaches full maturation.
Fully maturation takes on average around 125 days for this pumpkin. These giant white pumpkins are commonly used for decorative purposes during holiday seasons such as Halloween as a result of their unique appearance and impressive size and consistency.
The Full Moon pumpkin consists of soft skin that can be easily carved. The pumpkin also consists of a thick pale yellow flesh that is ideal for use for cooking and baking.
Moonshine Pumpkin
The Moonshine pumpkin is a unique pumpkin variety that is commonly used in displays during holiday seasons. This pumpkin contains a smooth and pearly white exterior that consists of an even texture and even rinds. Its skin is similar to that of a Casper pumpkin.
Its unique white color makes it a popular choice of pumpkin for displaying around the home. This pumpkin variety is widely recognized for having one of the strongest and darkest handles with vines yielding between 3 to 4 pumpkins per pumpkin plant. The Moonshine pumpkin features a uniform structure and weighs on average between 8 to 12 pounds. This pumpkin takes on average around 100 days to fully mature.
Big Moose Pumpkin
The Big Moose pumpkin is commonly recognized for its large size and bold appearance. The pumpkin consists of bright orange skin that consists of even ribbing. They tend to come in a substantially even shape. This pumpkin variety can weigh anything between 50 to 125 pounds.
Though impressive in size, unlike other pumpkin varieties, the Big Moose pumpkin is rarely used for cooking. Though the pumpkin contains thick flesh, the flesh of the pumpkin contains a dry and mild flavor making other pumpkin varieties a more popular choice for cooking and baking.
However, it is edible and can be prepared in the same way as other pumpkins. Though not popular for eating, this is a popular pumpkin variety for showcasing at festivals.
Takeaway
So, there you have it… The list of 15 types of pumpkin plants to look out for. Each of these plant varieties consists of a unique appearance and features. Bet you didn’t realize that so many varieties of pumpkin plants existed? With this list, you can now look to try out some of these varieties for cooking or even grow them yourself.
Plants have always been a big interest of mine, and I’ve always wanted to learn more about the different types of species. I have gained a vast knowledge of the subject over the years, and I have decided to share this information with others.
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