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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 ...
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.
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.
Cucurbita (Latin for gourd) [3] is a genus of herbaceous vines in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, also known as cucurbits, native to the Andes and Mesoamerica.Five species are grown worldwide for their edible fruit, variously known as squash, pumpkin, or gourd depending on species, variety, and local parlance, [a] and for their seeds.
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]
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.
The earliest cultivated plant in North America is the bottle gourd, remains of which have been excavated at Little Salt Spring, Florida dating to 8000 BCE. [7] Squash (Cucurbita pepo var. ozarkana) is considered to be one of the first domesticated plants in the Eastern Woodlands, having been found in the region about 5000 BCE, though possibly not domesticated in the region until about 1000 BCE.