Pumpkins are fruits that can gain nearly 30kg a day, DR reports

Pumpkin picking has become a popular autumn activity, but the fruit also has a rapid growth rate and an unexpected link to Halloween traditions, DR reports.

Jes Aagaard, a nature guide with the Danish Nature Agency, says pumpkins are botanically fruits because they develop from flowers.

They can also grow remarkably quickly. The world record for a pumpkin is nearly one and a half tonnes, Aagaard says, adding that a pumpkin can gain almost 30kg in a day. Its large leaves help it produce sugar and starch through photosynthesis.

The tradition of carving pumpkins for Halloween came to the United States with Irish immigrants, Aagaard says. They originally carved turnips, but pumpkins are easier to cut and can be shaped into more frightening designs.