Question
i alway's thought a pumpkin was a vegetable , but i found out today that it is a fruit. can you tell me what makes a fruit a fruit and a vegetable a vegetable. i thought all squash where vegetables and a pumpkin is a sqash, i thought. with halloween coming up, i took my children to get a pumpkin at the pumpkin path and thought i would read some information about pumpkins to them when i found out a pumpkin was really a fruit.so, after all this time of telling them a pumpkin is a vegetable i've got tell them i was wrong and why so, if you can help me i sure would thaank you

Answer
Sandra, in the most simplistic terms, a fruit is defined by any fleshy growth on either a bush or tree that covers a seed or group of seeds. A vegetable is defined more by its leafy growth. Therefore, botanically a tomato is a fruit, but horticulturally (which I will explain in detail below), it is classified as a vegetable.

A general rule of thumb is that vegetables are normally annuals and grown on a non-woody plant; i.e. lettuce, beets, radishes, cabbage, etc. Fruits, on the other hand, are usually perennials (annual vining plants excluded; i.e. squash) and grown only on woody plants, trees, or vines. Therefore, by definition, a pumpkin is a fruit.

As I alluded to, how fruits and vegetables are classified horticulturally is determined solely by how it is defined by the U.S. government. For instance, a tomato is by definition a fruit, yet classified as a vegetable.

This decision came about when the Supreme Court made a ruling in the late 1800's to classify certain plants vegetables that would by botanical definition be classified as fruits. These included fleshy edible plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. The reason they got involved was to protect U.S. farmers from having to compete with imports classified as fruits that were not subject to taxes. Imported vegetables were taxable which made it more feasible for consumers to purchase U.S. bred vegetables. Hence, despite the true botanical habit of the plant, the government has the final say on how most fruits and vegetables are classified.

I hope this answered your question. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike