Pumpkin Facts For Kids | A Famous North American Plant

The name ‘Pumpkin’ is derived from the Greek term called ‘pepon’ which means ‘large melon’. Pumpkin is a winter squash, which means it grows in summer every year. Pumpkins are found all over the world and people cultivate them for both money-making as well as farming purposes. Pumpkin is one of the most famous crops of USA. So let’s discover more about this plant in pumpkin facts for kids.

A Quick Guide To Pumpkin Facts For Kids

Type: Plant

Hometown: North America

Weight: 6 – 18 pounds

Largest producers in the World: India, United States, China, Mexico, Canada

Largest producers in USA: Indiana, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio

Annual US production: 1.5 billion pounds

Basic Pumpkin Facts For Kids

Name

1. There is no specific meaning of the word ‘Pumpkin’ in Botany.
2. The earliest seeds of pumpkins were found in Mexico. These seeds date back to 7000 BC to 5500 BC.
3. In French, pumpkin is called as pompon.
4. In British, it is called pumpion.
5. The US immigrants finally called it Pumpkin.

Physical and Chemical Properties

1. Normally the weight of pumpkins varies from 6 to 18 pounds. The species that fall under this category of weight is C. pepo. However, the weights of biggest ones may reach to 75 pounds like the species named C. maxima.
2. There are very small orange-colored pigments inside a pumpkin which is why it appears orange.
3. Some of the key nutrients inside this plant are Lutein, alpha-carotene and beta-carotene.
4. Pumpkin is a plant. The plant seeds and the pulp inside it are covered with fat layer over it.

Color

1. Pumpkin has a dark yellow or more like an orange color.
2. During the year 2005, white-colored pumpkins became very famous in USA.
3. There are some pumpkins that have a dark green color.

USA

1. Pumpkins came from North America.
2. The name of a normal variety of this plant in the US is Connecticut Field.
3. The US produces 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins every year.
4. The five top US states that produce maximum pumpkins are Indiana, California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
5. In USA, the pumpkins are normally cultivated in the beginning of July.
6. The five largest producers of pumpkins around the world are India, United States, China, Mexico and Canada.

Cuisine

1. One of the most famous methods of cooking this plant is by a making a sweet dessert called pumpkin pie.
2. Pumpkin is a famous staple food in Canada and USA. It is especially prepared on occasions of Thanksgiving and Halloween.
3. Pumpkin is used as a sweet dessert in the Middle East. The sweet dish of pumpkin in this region is called ‘halawa yaqtin’.
4. In India, sugar and butter are mixed in pumpkin and make a sweet delicacy called ‘kadu ka halwa’.

Seeds

1. The seeds of pumpkin are known as pepitas.
2. One of the famous delicacies of Halloween is roasted seeds of pumpkin.
3. Pumpkin seed oil is produced from the cooked seeds of pumpkin and it is widely used in some parts of Europe for cooking food.

More Pumpkin Facts For Kids

1. Canned pumpkins can also be a good food for your dogs or cats because it has a high percentage of fiber in it, which helps in digesting food.
2. The leaves of pumpkin are very famous as a vegetable in most parts of Kenya. These are known as seveve.
3. Antarctica is the only continent in the world that has no pumpkins.
4. The growth of pumpkins is reduced when the temperature is too cold or when the water is not sufficient.
5. In the fertilization process of pumpkins, honeybees are one of those bees that are very important in starting this process.

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