How many kinds of gourds are there?

The Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae) includes hundreds of species of vines bearing coiled, climbing tendrils and some of the most unusual fruits in the world. The total number of species may exceed 700, with at least 100 different genera. Known as "curcurbits" to gourd lovers, the fruits of this exceedingly diverse family come in an astounding array of shapes and sizes, from tiny, marble-sized "jumbie pumpkins" of the Caribbean islands to giant gourds over seven feet (2 m) long. In fact, the undisputed world's largest fruits belong to this remarkable plant family. According to Cucurbits, the official newsletter of the World Pumpkin Confederation, a 1993 record-breaking pumpkin weighed in at 836 pounds (379 kg) and a giant squash tipped the scales at just over 700 pounds (317 kg). One year later at the "gourd Olympics" in Port Elgin, Ontario, the reign of the pumpkin was broken by a 900 (408 kg) pound squash.

When this record was first published on-line in Wayne's Word: "The World's Largest Fruit" (see hyperlink below), it appeared that the squash had clearly beaten its long-time rival, the pumpkin, and was indeed the world's largest fruit (at least according to contests sponsored by the World Pumpkin Confederation). But finally, on that fateful day of October 5, 1996 at the official World Pumpkin Confederation weigh-in at Clarence, New York, the pumpkin once again regained its title of the world's largest fruit. Not only did a record-breaking pumpkin beat its 900 pound squash rival of 1994, but it also broke the 1,000 pound barrier where no pumpkin or squash had ever gone before. For their remarkable 1,061 pound (481 kg) mammoth pumpkin, the lucky growers received a grand prize of 50,000 dollars. According to the growers, Paula and Nathan Zehr, they used 150 gallons of water a day and a custom fertilizer mix containing 60 ingredients. During its 3-4 month growing period, their amazing pumpkin gained over 10 pounds per day. In another pumpkin contest held at Canfield, Ohio in October 2000, a pumpkin weighed in at 1140 pounds. In October 2002, a pumpkin was reported from Manchester, New Hampshire with an astonishing weight of 1337 pounds.