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Ohio

I sometimes have trouble telling the Cucurbita pepo species pumpkin and a Cucurbita maxima apart so I asked a good buddy of mine to explain how he does this, he gave me a real good explanation on how he does it. This really help me out alot on how to distinguish between the varieties, so I thought I would share it with you guys.

''Halloween, or 'field' pumpkins, are of the species Cucurbita pepo. Your AGs, Big Max, Prizewinner Hybrid, First Prize, Big Moose, Full Moon, One-Too-Many, and many others are of the species Cucurbita maxima.
The pepos are generally distinguished by hard, woody stems.
The maximas have a much softer, fleshy stem. Also, the plants are different. The pepos generally have pointed leaves with vines similar to the stems. The maximas have rounder leaves with softer vines.

Telling the varieties apart can be tough as many frankly look much alike. I can pick out the Aladdins, Dependables, and Fat Alberts quite easily as the have a very distinctive look and color. Anything with a thick 8 inch stem is going to be a Fat Albert or a Conestoga Giant or some derivative thereof. These generally also have high, ribbed shoulders''

10/19/2008 4:37:07 AM