The pumpkin is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family
and is native to tropical
and subtropical
America.
The
term
‘pumpkin’ is often applied to fruits
of different
species
of
the
genus
Cucurbita,
such
as
C.
pepo
L.,
C.
maxima
Duchesne,
C.
moschata
Duchesne, C.
argyrosperma
Huber,
and
C.
ficifolia
Bouché (Ferriol
and Picó, 2008).