A Guide to 13 Varieties of Pumpkin

Welcome to Cucurbita, the genus of pumpkins, squashes, and some gourds, the edible and ornamental fruits of fall. Once you recognize the variety of shapes and sizes, all kinds of decorative possibilities open up. There are so many types of pumpkins—why stick to the standard orange icon of fall? Pale and monochromatic, bright and bold, eerily enigmatic, or elegantly dark and moody options also abound.

There are five common domesticated species of Cucurbita: ficifolia (chilacayote squash and Malabar gourd), maxima (Hubbard, 'Lakota,' buttercup, and winter squashes), argyrosperma (cushaw squash), moschata ('Shakertown Field' and 'Long Island Cheese' pumpkins), and pepo (jack-o'-lantern varieties, delicata squashes, ornamental gourds). The wanton willingness of each species to cross-pollinate with members of its own kind can create some curious offspring. Kabocha, the so-called Japanese squash, sports knobby black-green skin that's often striped in celadon. The rinds of Australian squashes, such as 'Jarrahdale' and 'Queensland Blue,' vary from dusty gray to greenish blue. French pumpkins, such as the elegant 'Rouge Vif d'Etampes,' dubbed the Cinderella pumpkin, tend to be low to the ground and often display deeply ridged lobes. 'Galeuse d'Eysines' and 'Marina di Chioggia' are both pocked with bumps caused by a buildup of sugars underneath their skin and look scary even before they're carved.

Their looks are as different as their names. Some sit bulging and broad, secure in their squatness. Some stand tall and are considered pear-shaped. They're ellipsoidal and spherical. They can be wide-shouldered or slump-shouldered. The biggest even approach a ton; the smallest would barely tip the needle on a bathroom scale. The colors of their skin also vary enormously. Start with every tint of orange, of course, from amber to apricot, coral to persimmon. Then envision inky black or ghostly white; buttercream or slate blue; sage green or darkest myrtle. Some favor even more outlandish hues: baby pink, mustard, salmon, fiery red. Some aren't content with a single shade at all, so they tart themselves up in stripes, mottles, marbling, and speckles.

All in all, they provide a color, size, and shape for every decorative idea you have this fall.