Wild pumpkin (SciiFii)

Not to be confused with Cucurbita foetidissima, which is sometimes known as the wild pumpkin.
The wild pumpkin (Cucurbita ferus) is a species of winter squash, most closely related to Cucurbita pepo (including domestic pumpkins), that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, open woodlands, and farmlands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The wild pumpkin resembles a domestic pumpkin in almost every way, but is always deep yellow in color, unlike domestic pumpkins. The wild pumpkin's thick shell, like its fully domesticated counterpart, contains the seeds and pulp, which are, however, chewy and soft compared with those of domestic pumpkins. Wild pumpkins generally weigh between 3 and 8 kilograms (6 and 18 lb), though the largest wild pumpkins can reach weights of over 34 kg (75 lb). In a 100-gram amount, raw wild pumpkin provides 110 kilojoules (26 kilocalories) of food energy and is an excellent source (20% or more the Daily Value, DV) of provitamin A beta-carotene and vitamin A (53% DV) (table). Vitamin C is present in moderate content (11% DV), but no other nutrients are in significant amounts (less than 10% DV, table). Pumpkin is 92% water, 6.5% carbohydrate, 0.1% fat and 1% protein (table). The wild pumpkins are much easier to keep and care for than domestic pumpkins, despite being purely wild plants, and the seeds can be spread by birds and other seed-eating animals. Unlike domestic pumpkins, the wild pumpkins have naturally sweet taste akin to pumpkin pie, making it a suitable ingredient for much healthy versions of popular food items for humans, including pumpkin pies. The wild pumpkin is also frequently carved as jack-o'-lanterns for decoration around Halloween. The conservation status of the wild pumpkin living in the wild is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the wild pumpkin's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Plants
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii