Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why is a cucumber or pumpkin fruit botanically classified as a berry?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

A pile of freshly harvested pumpkins and gourds in various shapes, with striped patterns in shades of yellow, orange, and green. — Cucurbitales Pumpkins and gourds, order Cucurbitales.

In botanical terms, a cucumber or pumpkin is classified as a berry because it is a simple, fleshy fruit derived from the single ovary of an individual flower and typically contains many seeds.12

Specifically, these fruits belong to the family Cucurbitaceae within the order Cucurbitales. The specific type of berry characteristic of this family is known as a pepo. A pepo is defined as a fleshy, many-seeded berry that features a hard, tough rind. While popular terminology often distinguishes these gourds from common berries, they meet the strict botanical criteria for the classification.2314