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| Online Flora of the Maltese Islands by Stephen Mifsud |
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Cucurbita pepo (Pumpkin) |
Cucurbita pepo (CUCURBITACEAE.)
Images for this profile are taken from the Maltese Islands after year 2000.
Website launch: Oct-2002
Taxonomic update: Aug-2026
Code update: Jul-2026 |
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| Nomenclature and General Information |
Species name : |
Cucurbita pepoL.
Published in Sp. Pl. 1010 (1753) |
Synonyms :
(basionym or principal syn.) |
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Plant Family : |
Cucurbitaceae Juss. (The Gourd or Cucumber Family)
2 species from the Cucurbitaceae family are recorded from the Maltese Islands. | English name(s) : | Pumpkin, Field Pumpkin, Summer Squash |
Maltese name(s) : |
Qargħa ħamra |
Status for Malta : |
Cultivated species. Introduced plants cultivated for agricultural or horticultural purposes but sometimes
can be occassionaly found as an escapee close to the site of their original cultivation. |
Frequency : |
Very Common Common Frequent Scarce Rare Very rare Extinct |
Growth form : |
Germination type [info]: Dicotyledon
Raunkiaer lifeform [info]: Therophyte ( annual plants, herbaceous, die after fruiting/seeding stage ) |
Legal Protection : |
Not legally protected till the last update of this website (22/Aug/2025) |
Red List (1989) : |
Not listed in the Red Data Book of the Maltese Islands |
Flowering Time : |
July – September |
Colour of Flowers: |
Yellow |
Toxicity: |
Toxic, and may lead to irreversible damage or death if consumed in large quantities |
Name Derivation : |
Cucurbita: ()
pepo: ()
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Planting in rural areas : |
Can be planted in rural areas according to ERA Guidelines |
Remarks : |
Numerous agricultural varieties have been produced from this species, mainly differing in the fruit. |
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Description, Habitat and Distribution | |
Botanical Description |
Stems up to c. 10 mm in diameter, hispid. Leaves 15-30 cm, broadly ovate in outline, cordate, variously lobed, hispid-setose; lobes acute. Peduncles of male and female flowers 5-angled, slightly expanded below the female flowers. Calyx-lobes linear-lanceolate; corolla 7-10 cm in diameter, deep yellow; lobes ovate, acute or acuminate. Fruit 15-40 cm in diameter, globose to cylindrical, green or yellow, smooth or tuberculate; seeds white. | |
Habitat in Europe |
Agriculture casual escape near cultivated fields
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Preferred habitat in Malta |
Cultivated crop sometimes found escaping in field margins and over rubble walls, especially when fields are located near valley sides
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Distributional range |
S. Europe
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Native region outside Europe |
(N. Central America)
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Distributional maps from various sources |
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Flora Europaea till 1993) |
Albania, the Azores, the Balaeric Islands, Britain (excl. Northern Ireland and Channel islands), Bulgaria, Corse, Crete, France (incl. Monaco and Channel Islands but excluding Corse), Greece, Ireland, Spain (incl. Andorra but excl. the Balaerics), Italy (mainland, excl. Sicily and Sardinia), ex-Jugoslavia, Portugal, Sardinia, Sicily and/or Malta, Turkey (European part)
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Occurrences in Europe
(from Euro+Med Checklist till 2024)
Country codes
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[Ab(A N) aAl cAr aAu(A) aAz(F L S) aBe(B L) aBr cBu By Ca(F T) Cg cCo aCs Ct aDa Es aFe aGa(C F) aGe cHe Hs(S) cHu nIt La Lt Mo aNo cPo Rf(C E K N NW S) Rm nSa nSi(M S) cSk cSM aSu Tu cUk Uk(K U)]
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| Links & Further literature
(0 papers) |
Google Web |
Google Images |
Google Scholar |
Research Gate |
Wikipedia |
JSTOR |
GBIF |
Med Checklist |
Cat. of Life |
EoL |
IPNI |
World Flora Online |
Plants of the World Online |
Vienna Virt. Herb. |
RBGE Herbarium |
KEW Herbarium |
MNHN |
Garden Database |
IUCN |
TROPICOS |
Kindly Email if there are papers and publications about local
studies or information about this species to be included in the list above.
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Sales and Donations
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Sales of seeds of wild plant from Malta: Seeds of selected wild plant species may be available for academic studies, research purposes, or personal use. Please note that not all species can be supplied or exported. Availability is subject to seasonal seed production, stock levels, and applicable regulations, including Maltese legislation and CITES requirements where relevant. Protected and endemic species cannot be sold (at least without the relevant environmental permits).
How it works: First, submit a quotation request by completing the Online Quotation Form (link provided on the right side of this table). Once your request has been reviewed, you will receive confirmation regarding seed availability, export eligibility (where applicable), pricing, and any transport charges. Payments are accepted by Revolut, bank transfer (IBAN), or PayPal only; credit and debit card payments are not accepted.
Please note that local orders are currently not being accepted. Seek Maltese nurseries and NGOs for local orders.
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Online Quotation (Seeds)
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Buy Images: Purchase photographs from this extensive online collection of Maltese flora by Stephen Mifsud. Images are available at reasonable prices, with rates varying according to image size and resolution. Your purchase helps support the maintenance and development of this website. When placing an order, please note the image code displayed beneath each photograph on the corresponding species page, as this is required when completing the online order form. Images are normally supplied under a license agreement, with copyright retained by the author; however, the sale of copyright for exceptional images may be considered on request.
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Online Purchase (Images)
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| Contribute Information or Report Errors |
Use this form to submit additional information about this species or to report any inaccuracies on this webpage.
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Atlas Flora Europaea
GBIF Distribution Map
WFO Distribution map
