Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

© Shaun Cunningham/Alamy Stock Phot

Pumpkins aplenty. Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Today's image shows a pumpkin field in Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Five species of pumpkins are commonly cultivated: Cucurbita moschata (pumpkin), Cucurbita pepo (summer squash), Cucurbita maxima (winter squash), Cucurbita mixta (also known as Cucurbita angyrosperma, a type of winter squash) and Cucurbita ficifolia (Malabar gourd or fig-leaf gourd). In general, 'pumpkins' refer to the mature edible fruits of all five Cucurbita species, which are typically not baked.

In India, pumpkins are a popular warm-season fruit that is widely cultivated across the country and goes by different names such as kashiphal, sitaphal or lal kaddu. These fruits come in various shapes, including oblong, round and oval, with weights ranging from 2 to 20 kilograms. The flesh colour varies from pale yellow to deep crimson, and they are normall between 3.5 and 5.5 centimetres thick. Pumpkins are grown extensively for both their immature and mature fruits and hold importance due to their high carotene content and excellent storage life.