Cucurbit family bittermelon, wintermelon, moqua, sinqua. The cucurbitaceae family is a mediumsized plant family, primarily found in the warmer regions of the world. China, as one of the ancient centers for diversity of domesticated plants, has a rich germplasm resource in vegetable and fruit crops. The trichomes in the family cucurbitaceae vary from unicellular to multicellular, conical to elongated, smooth to ridges, with or without flattened disk at base and cyctolithic appendages, thin to thick walled, curved at apices to blunt. The common types of cucurbits that we are familiar with include such. A large proportion of these genes are organized in clusters that appear to be hotspots of variability. The family cucurbitaceae is one of the most important in the angiosperm taxa.
Cucurbit crops types of cucurbits and growing information. Plants of the gourd or squash family the gourd family is as easy to recognize as pumpkins and squash. The cucurbitaceae family commonly known as the gourd family is an excellent example of a plant family with many economically. Most of the plants in this family are annual vines, but some are woody lianas, thorny shrubs, or trees dendrosicyos.
The morphological characterization of the melon species in. Two subfamilies, zanonioideae and cucurbitoideae, are well characterized. The family cucurbitaceae has many herbaceous species with medicinal properties, hence its choice for this study. The cucurbits cucurbitaceae, or gourd family, which include squash, pumpkin, melon, cucumber, and watermelon, have long been of economic significance. The members are chiefly inhabitants of tropical regions. The cucurbitaceae is a moderately large plant family of about.
Cucurbit family bittermelon, wintermelon, moqua, sinqua, opo, kabocha, and snake gourd bittermelon mormodica charantia. In a continuing effort to inform the west on chinese uses of the cucurbitaceae, we update a 1989 description of cucurbits in china with the inclusion of. Pdf systematic studies on cucurbitaceae family at rajshahi. The genomes of the cucurbitaceae species measured until now are. They are native in most countries of the world, especially in the tropics, where they are cultivated in every country, state, and province. Dynamics of sex expression and chromosome diversity in. Male and female parts are borne on separate funnelshaped flowers. Seeds or fruit parts of some cucurbits are reported to possess purgatives, emetics and antihelmintics properties due to the secondary metabolite. Cucurbitaceae is a plant family commonly known as melons, gourds or cucurbits. Family cucurbitaceae definition of family cucurbitaceae by.
Members of the family cucurbitaceae are native in most countries, but the earliest records of people dining on these vegetables comes from mexico where caches of squash seeds more than 9,000 years old have been found. Ethnobotany and the economic role of the cucurbitaceae of china. Cucurbits belong to the family cucurbitaceae and consist of about 118 genera and 825 species, according to the last taxonomic treatment of jeffrey 1990. Bennett encyclopedia of life support systemseolss condiments including mustard brassica nigra and sinapis alba, horseradish armoracia rusticana, and wasabi eutrema wasabi. It is a distinct family without any close relatives. Cucurbitaceae a family of a few shrubby members, but mostly of tendrilclimbing herbs 1 with weak, sappy stems and palmate 2 leaves. Trichomes micromorphology in the family cucurbitaceae was found significant taxonomically. Species of cucurbitaceae contained within the plant list belong to 126 plant genera. Many species of this family are the sources of medicine.
Cucumis muskmelon and cucumber, and citrullus watermelon. The fruits have many culinary uses including pumpkin pie, biscuits, bread, desserts, puddings, beverages, and soups. It is a family of about genera and about 800 species. Cucurbita, cucumis, lagenaria, sechium melons, cucumbers, etc. The cucurbitaceae is divided into two families on the basis of whether or not the styles are free and seeds winged or not. The family is predominantly distributed around the tropics. Plant files begonia species begonia masoniana iron cross was a big surprise success outdoors as a. Well use this unwholesome humidity, this gross watery pumpion.
Charles jeffrey4 1 state key laboratory of systematic and evolutionary botany, institute of botany, chinese academy of sciences, 20 nanxincun, xiangshan, beijing 93, peoples republic of. Contribute to daves garden add a new plant to the list. Herbs, annual or perennial, or weak, woody shrubs with watery sap, scandent or prostrate. Cucurbits belong to the family cucurbitaceae and consist of about genera and 800 species, according to the last taxonomic treatment of jeffrey 1. The fruits and seeds of majority of them are lasatives. Many members of this family produce vegetables and fruits. Look closely at one of these flowers and you will know the family. Cucurbitaceae is a plant family commonly known as gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like cucumbers, squashes including pumpkins, luffas, melons and watermelons. The cucurbitaceae family ranks among the highest of plant families for number and percentage of species used as human food. The family cucurbitaceae belongs to the order cucurbitales, class magnoliopsida subclass rosidae. There are 5 separate sepals and 5 united petals rarely 6 of each. In a continuing effort to inform the west on chinese uses. The family cucurbitaceae ranks among the highest of plant families for number and percentage of species used as human food.
The cucurbitaceae is one of the three most important families in that country as sources of vegetables. In order for fruit set to occur, pollen from the male flower must be transferred to the female flower. The use of microscopy techniques with different levels of resolution allows us to. Flower development and pollen morphology in cucurbitaceae. Squash, melons, and cucumbers belong to the same family, often called cucurbits, and have a flowering habit which is unique among the vegetable crops. The plant list includes 3,801 scientific plant names of species rank for the family cucurbitaceae.
Diagnostic significance of leaf epidermal features in the. After the meeting, all the communications printed in these proceedings will be available in pdf format on the following. This family is particularly important economically because its fruits are edible. It is a family of economically important species, of which the fruits are used for nutritional and medicinal purposes jeffrey, 1990. The cucurbitaceae family is the species with the most food used for human consumption. Anatomic study in certain genera of family cucurbitaceae. Cucumber cucumis sativus, cucurbitaceae fuzzy melon immature fruit and winter melon benincasa hispida long gourd oopoh lagenaria siceraria pumpkin jackolantern is c. Keep reading to learn more about cucurbit plant info and discover just how much you may already know about these plants. Cucurbitaceae 2000eucarpia vii israel 2000 1st international oil pumpkin conference austria 1999 cucurbitaceae 98 asilomar, california 1998. It is usually grown on a trellis system and is roughly about the size of a zucchini, but warty. Many of the indian species, such as actinostemma, gynostemma, hemsleya, indofevillea, momordica and siraitia belong to old and phylogenetically isolated lineages. Cucurbitaceae simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Cucurbitaceae hu lu ke lu anmin lu anming1, huang luqi 2, chen shukun 3.
Unesco eolss sample chapters economic botany twentyfive economically important plant families b. Cucurbits are present in both the new and old world and are among the most important plant families. The cucurbitaceae consists of many important food plants such as melon, pumpkin, squash, cucumber. Charles jeffrey4 1 state key laboratory of systematic and evolutionary botany, institute of botany, chinese academy of sciences, 20 nanxincun, xiangshan, beijing 93, peoples republic of china.
The genomes of the cucurbitaceae species measured until now are intermediate in. Biology and utilization of the cucurbitaceae on jstor. Egyptian tombs suggest pharaohs served melons at their meals, and today african food markets display many forms of cucurbits. The cucurbitaceae family is well defined but taxonomically isolated from other plant families. Cucurbit crops are one of the most commonly grown in the garden. The family is predominantly distributed around the tropics, where those with edible fruits were amongst the earliest cultivated plants in both the old and new worlds. Genera most commonly grown include cucurbita squash and pumpkin. The family has 110 genera and 850 species out of which 86 species are found in india. The species in which stomata were found to be present on the adaxial epidermis include luffa cylindrica, cucumis melo, lagenaria breviflorus, lagenaria siceraria, citrullus colocynthis, citrullus lanatus, luffa.
It includes crops such as cucumbers, squashes including pumpkins, luffas, melons and watermelons. Six plant families of economic importance david bogler. There are nearly 100 genera and more than 750 species in the family, cucurbitaceae juss. Members of the family are annual or perennial herbs native to temperate and tropical areas and include cucumbers, gourds, melons. Cucurbitaceae family plants are also in use in the folk medicinal system of bangladesha traditional medicinal system, which mainly relies on medicinal plants for treatment of diverse ailments. Its edible fruits were amongst the earliest cultivated plants in both the old and new worlds. Members of the family are annual or perennial herbs native to temperate and tropical areas and include cucumbers, gourds, melons, squashes, and pumpkins.
The family cucurbitaceae consists of about 120 genera and more than 800 species. Botanical specimens california correspondence cucurbitaceae kellogg, a. Members of the family are annual or perennial herbs native to temperate and tropical areas and include cucumbers, gourds, melons, squashes, and. They bear two kinds of flowers, male and female, both on the same plant. The plants of the family are collectively known as cucurbits. Cucurbit crop growth and development purdue university. Implications for crop plant evolution and areas of origin pdf. Taxonomic significance of trichomes micromorphology in cucurbits. Cucumbers, melons, squashes, zucchini, gourds, pumpkins, loofahs fruit type pepo 3 carpels parietal placentation. List of plants in the family cucurbitaceae britannica. The study of floral morphology in cucurbitaceae is very important given the broad agronomic implications of this family and the frequent fertilization and fruit set problems present among their members.
Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family of flowering plants, belonging to the order cucurbitales and containing 98 genera and about 975 species of food and ornamental plants. Introduction the different species of cucurbitaceae have served. John strong, 18221892 plants sicyos torrey, john, 17961873. Variability among cucurbitaceae species melon, cucumber and. The cucurbitaceae family commonly known as the gourd family is an excellent example of a plant family with many economically useful species. The tendrils are coiled spirally, and arise beside the leaf bases. These crops are members of the cucurbitaceae, or squash family. The cucurbitaceae or vine crop family is a distinct family without any close relatives and includes many important vegetables such as cucumber, melon, watermelon, squash, pumpkin and gourds. Plants of this family have many medicinal and nutritional benefits. A very interesting and an outstanding family of dicotyledons, distributed widely over the tropical parts of the world2.