A vegetable crop of the species Cucurbita pepo, part of the squash and gourd family domesticated in Mexico roughly seven to ten thousand years ago, among the earliest plants brought under cultivation in the Americas, predating maize and beans in the region's agricultural sequence. Pumpkins were a staple food of Indigenous peoples across North and Central America long before European contact, and the crop later became closely associated with autumn harvest traditions and seasonal decoration in North America and Europe. China, India, Ukraine, Russia and the United States are among the largest modern producers, and pumpkins are grown both for direct consumption and for processed products such as canned pumpkin and pumpkin seed oil.
Facts
Scientific Name Domestication Region Domesticated When (Circa)Between 7000 BCE and 5500 BCE 3 Era
Era (category) Connections
Associated With
Milpa, Practices Squash/pumpkin is the third of the Three Sisters intercropped with maize and beans in the milpa system.
In the Other Atlases
Era Of Origin
Also in History Atlas: the era this subject comes from.
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database: USDA PLANTS profile data for Cucurbita pepo
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS DatabasePlantProfile, DurationsQuote, PlantProfile, Durations
"Durations": [ "Annual" ]
2. Pumpkin (Wikipedia)
- lead: a cultivated winter squash
- lead: pumpkin pie is a traditional part of Thanksgiving meals
- lead: frequently used as autumnal seasonal decorations and carved as jack-o'-lanterns
View the Source3. Pumpkin, Wikipedia
History
The oldest evidence of Cucurbita pepo is pumpkin fragments found in Mexico that are dated between 7,000 and 5,500 BC.
Introduction
C. pepo pumpkins are among the oldest known domesticated plants, with evidence of their cultivation dating to between 7000 BCE and 5500 BCE in Mesoamerica.
lead description or Wikipedia lead (crop-class)
A vegetable crop of the species Cucurbita pepo, part of the squash and gourd family domesticated in Mexico roughly seven to ten thousand years ago, among the earliest plants brought under cultivation in the Americas, predating maize and beans in the region's agricultural sequence.
lead description or Wikipedia lead (primary-uses)
Pumpkins were a staple food of Indigenous peoples across North and Central America long before European contact, and the crop later became closely associated with autumn harvest traditions and seasonal decoration in North America and Europe.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.