Student Article
How Big Can the World's Largest Pumpkin Get?
Pumpkin (noun): A large, round fruit with orange skin.
Cell (noun): The basic building block of living things.
Divide (verb): To split into parts.
Tissue (noun): A group of cells that work together.
Pumpkins can grow really big!
Giant pumpkins don't just happen
Pumpkins can grow to be very large. The biggest pumpkin ever grown weighed 2,702 pounds! This pumpkin was grown by Stefano Cutrupi in Italy. Some types of pumpkins, like the Atlantic Giant, are made to grow very big.
Superpower! How pumpkins feed themselves
Pumpkins grow fast because their cells divide for a long time. After the cells divide, they get bigger for up to two months. This makes the pumpkin grow larger than other fruits.
When pumpkins get too big
Pumpkins also have special tissue called phloem. Phloem helps move sugars to where the pumpkin needs them to grow. But when pumpkins get too big, they can have a flat base because they are too heavy to keep their shape.
© Dr. Emma Davies / Our Media
Pumpkin (noun): A large, round fruit with orange skin.
Cell (noun): The basic building block of living things.
Divide (verb): To split into parts.
Tissue (noun): A group of cells that work together.