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Cucurbita (Latin for 'gourd') [2] [3] is a genus of herbaceous fruits in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae (also known as cucurbits or cucurbi), native to the Andes and Mesoamerica. Five edible species are grown and consumed for their flesh and seeds.
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 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 ]
[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 ]
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.
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.
In fact, they used to come in a rainbow of colors that are hard to imagine. As History Facts explained, you can trace the fruit's beginnings back to the Himalayas some 8 million years ago.
This species originated in South America from the wild subspecies Cucurbita maxima subsp. andreana over 4,000 years ago. [3] Cucurbita maxima , known for modern varieties as Hubbard, Delicious, Marblehead, Boston Marrow, and Turks Turban, originated in northern Argentina near the Andes or in certain Andean valleys. [ 4 ]