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The Cucurbitaceae (/ k j uː ˌ k ɜːr b ɪ ˈ t eɪ s iː ˌ iː /), [2] also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species [3] in 101 genera. [4] Those of most agricultural, commercial or nutritional value to humans include: [ citation needed ]
Gourd is occasionally used to describe crop plants in the family Cucurbitaceae, like pumpkins, cucumbers, squash, luffa, and melons. [1] More specifically, gourd refers to the fruits of plants in the two Cucurbitaceae genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita, [2] [3] or also to their hollow, dried-out shell. There are many different gourds worldwide.
The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables. [1] Considered an annual plant, [ 2 ] there are three main types of cucumber—slicing, pickling , and seedless —within which several cultivars have been created.
Cucurbitacin is a plant steroid present in wild Cucurbita and in each member of the family Cucurbitaceae. Poisonous to mammals, [ 79 ] it is found in quantities sufficient to discourage herbivores. It makes wild Cucurbita and most ornamental gourds, with the exception of an occasional C. fraterna and C. sororia , bitter to taste.
The likely center of origin is southern Mexico, spreading south through what is now known as Mesoamerica, on into South America, and north to what is now the southwestern United States. [68] Evolutionarily speaking, the genus is relatively recent in origin, dating back only to the Holocene , whereas the family Cucurbitaceae, in the shape of ...
Momordica charantia, (commonly called bitter melon, cerassee, goya, bitter apple, bitter gourd, bitter squash, balsam-pear, karavila and many more names listed below) [1] is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae,widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit.
Cucurbita argyrosperma, commonly known as cushaw, kershaw, or silver-seed gourd, is a species of squash most grown most frequently in North and Central America, and believed to originate from southern Mexico.
Cucurbita moschata is a species originating in the tropical Americas [2] which is cultivated for edible flesh, flowers, greens, and seeds. [3] It includes cultivars known in English as squash or pumpkin.