How do you recognise Giant pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima)?

Leaf

Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Giant pumpkin

Cucurbita maxima Duchesne

Also known as: Hubbard squash, Kabocha

Family: Cucurbitaceae

Trailing stems several metres long

Grown in open fields, rich, free-draining soils

Flowering: June – September

Full sun

Not hardy, frost-sensitive, grown as an annual

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Unlike the courgette, which is harvested young, the pumpkin is left to reach full maturity on the plant before harvesting — which is what allows it to reach an often impressive size. The courgette has an angular stem and is harvested young; the pumpkin has a soft, cylindrical stem and is harvested fully ripe, often much larger.

🍃 Leaves

Very large, rounded, soft, unlobed or only slightly lobed, covered in soft hairs

🌸 Flowers

Large, yellow-orange, trumpet-shaped; monoecious plant (separate male and female flowers)

🍎 Fruits

Very large round, flattened fruit, smooth skin, dense, sweet orange flesh

🪵 Bark

Trailing stem, cylindrical and soft (unlike the courgette, whose stem is angular)

🗺️ Distribution

Native to South America; cultivated throughout France

🐝 Value for pollinators

Large flowers rich in nectar, essential to bees for fruit formation

✂️ Horticultural uses

Vegetable garden crop grown for its large fruit, harvested fully ripe unlike the courgette

⚠️ Possible toxicity

Fruit edible; no known toxicity

⚠️ Look-alike species

Giant pumpkin

Cucurbita maxima

Courgette

Cucurbita pepo

The courgette has an angular stem and is harvested young; the pumpkin has a soft, cylindrical stem and is harvested fully ripe, often much larger.

Giant pumpkin

Cucurbita maxima

Butternut squash

Cucurbita moschata

The pumpkin has a soft, spongy, cylindrical fruit stalk, without angles and without a distinct flare; the butternut squash has a hard, angular fruit stalk clearly flaring into a star shape where it joins the fruit.

🌿 Other Cucurbitaceae to discover

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.