FoI
Giant Pumpkin
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Giant Pumpkin
aturalized Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Giant Pumpkin, great pumpkin, melon pumpkin, pumpkin, red gourd, red pumpkin, squash, squash gourd, turks cap gourd, winter squash • Assamese: ৰঙা ranga • Bengali: চালকুমড়ো calakumro, কুষ্মাণ্ড kusmanda • Gujarati: લાલ કોળું lal kolu • Hindi: लाल कद्दू lal kaddu, लाल कुम्हड़ा lal qumra, काशीफल kashiphal • Kannada: ಕಂದು ಗುಬಳ kandu gumbala, ಕುಂಬಳಕಾಯಿ kumbalakaayi, ಕೂಷ್ಮಾಂಡ kushmaanda • Kashmiri: अल al, तुम्बी tumbi • Konkani: दुद्दे dudde • Malayalam: vellarimathan • Manipuri: ꯃꯥꯏꯔꯦꯟ মাইরেন Mairen • Marathi: लाल भोपळा lal bhopala, तांबडा भोपळा tambada bhopala • Mizo: mai • Punjabi: ਹਲਵਾ ਕਦੂੱ halwa kaddu, ਮਿੱਠਾ ਕਦੂੱ mittha kaddu • Oriya: କଖାରୁ Kakharu, Kumda, mai • Sanskrit: कुष्माण्डकः kusmandakah, पीतकुष्माण्डः pitakusmandah • Tamil: சர்க்கரைப்பூசணி carkkarai-p-pucani, சீமைப்பூசனி cimai-p-pucani, பறங்கிக்காய் paranki-k-kay • Telugu: గుమ్మడి gummadi • Angami: Rumuo
Botanical name: Cucurbita maxima    Family: Cucurbitaceae (Pumpkin family)

Giant Pumpkin is an annual climber growing up to 5 m at a fast rate. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Fruit is cooked and eaten. A delicious flavour when baked, rather like a sweet potato. The flesh can be dried, ground into a powder and used with cereals in making bread, cakes etc. Some varieties can be stored for up to 9 months. Seed - raw or cooked. The seed can also be ground into a powder and used with cereals in making breads etc. Young flowers are eaten raw or cooked. They are often dipped in batter and fried. Young leaves and stems are cooked and eaten. Flowering: July-September.

Identification credit: Satish Pardeshi, Dinesh Valke
Photographed at Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra.
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