Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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 ]
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 Cucurbitales comprise the families: Apodanthaceae, Anisophylleaceae, Begoniaceae, Coriariaceae, Corynocarpaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Tetramelaceae, and Datiscaceae. [5] Some of the synapomorphies of the order are: leaves in spiral with secondary veins palmated, calyx or perianth valvate, and the elevated stomatal calyx/perianth bearing separate ...
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 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 ...
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.
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.
Origin 19th-century northern Italy The zucchini ( / z u ˈ k iː n i / ⓘ ; pl. : zucchini or zucchinis ), [ 1 ] courgette ( / k ʊər ˈ ʒ ɛ t / ) or baby marrow ( Cucurbita pepo ) [ 2 ] is a summer squash , a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are still soft and edible.