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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] Cucurbita – squash, pumpkin, zucchini (courgette), some ...
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.
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.
[3] [4] Members of the Cucurbitales form an important component of low to montane tropical forest with greater representation in terms of the number of species. Although not known with certainty the total number of species in the order, conservative estimates indicate about 2600 species worldwide, distributed in 109 genera. [ 3 ]
Guilá Naquitz Cave in Oaxaca, Mexico, is the site of early domestication of several food crops, including teosinte (an ancestor of maize), [1] squash from the genus Cucurbita, bottle gourds (Lagenaria siceraria), and beans.
Watermelon and melon in India. Melons were thought to have originated in Africa. [6] However, recent studies suggest a Southwest Asian origin, especially Iran and India; [7] [8] from there, they gradually began to appear in Europe toward the end of the Western Roman Empire.
Cucurbita maxima, one of at least five species of cultivated squash, is one of the most diverse domesticated species. [2] This species originated in South America from the wild subspecies Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana over 4,000 years ago. [3]
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. Cultivars of C. moschata are generally more tolerant of hot, humid weather than squash of other domesticated species.