As you spend hours in the coming weeks carving pumpkins and preparing pumpkin pies, you may start to wonder: What exactly is a pumpkin? Is it a vegetable? But it has seeds, so is pumpkin a fruit? And is a pumpkin different than a gourd, or a squash? To get to the bottom of the pumpkin mystery, we sleuthed out the facts about everyone’s favorite fall vegetable—and discovered that it’s not a vegetable at all.

What Are Pumpkins?

Pumpkins, squash, and gourds are all part of the Cucurbitaceae family, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. This large plant family includes more than 900 species, including everything from orange pumpkins, to watermelons, to cucumbers. The genus Cucurbita (aka “squash”) falls under this family, so yes, your traditional orange pumpkin is also a winter squash (not to be confused with soft-skinned summer squash, such as zucchini). Ready for the surprise? In the United States, any round, orange squash may be called a pumpkin, but the term “pumpkin” actually has no botanical meaning. Similarly, “gourd” is the conventional term used for plants in the genera Cucurbita (“squash”) and Lagenaria, so a pumpkin is also technically a gourd.

Why Pumpkins Are Fruit

Pumpkins are squash, and also gourds, but are they fruit? According to the Farmer’s Almanac, they are. And if we look at Merriam Webster’s definition of “fruit,” we can see why. A fruit is, “the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant.” Pumpkins are edible, and if you’ve ever cut one open, you know it’s full of seeds, so the pumpkin is the fruit of the pumpkin vine.

Are All Squash and Gourds Fruit?

By the above definition, all other varieties of squash are also fruit. So, if you typically claim squash is your favorite fall vegetable, you may want to rethink your response.

Pumpkin Nutrition

Whether you call it a squash or a gourd, pumpkin is an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C. While one cup of mashed pumpkin contains just 49 calories, it packs 2.7 grams of dietary fiber, helping you feel full for longer. This same small serving also delivers 245 percent of daily recommended vitamin A, 19 percent of vitamin C, 16 percent of potassium, and 11 percent of magnesium, making your favorite creamy pumpkin soup rich in nutrients.