Pumpkin on a Stick Eggplant Seeds

When our Director of Seeds began carrying around a branch of Pumpkin on a Stick laden with clusters of up to 5 little fruits here at Park, the speculation began. “It’s a tomato!” “Look at the cute little pumpkins!” “Is it some kind of new gourd?” Nobody guessed the truth — that this charmer was actually an eggplant!

Pumpkin on a Stick has been delighting gardeners for more than 125 years, and goes by many names. Some call it Pumpkin Tree or Pumpkin Bush, because of the sturdy, long-lasting branches set with large purple thorns. (Those thorns are one of the giveaways that it’s an eggplant, by the way!) Others call it Mock Tomato, because it really does resemble a heavily ribbed tomato, especially when the fruits first turn from green to scarlet. They won’t get their pumpkin-orange tones until they begin to dry out. Still others know it as Hmong Eggplant, Red China Eggplant, or Scarlet Chinese Eggplant, reflecting its origin in S