Cucurbitaceae | Definition, Characteristics, Examples, & Facts | Britannica (original) (raw)

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. Members of the family are annual or perennial herbs native to temperate and tropical areas and include cucumbers, gourds, melons, squashes, and pumpkins. Most species are extremely sensitive to temperatures near freezing, a factor that limits their geographic distribution and area of cultivation. Cucurbits have a generally low nutrient content, one exception being the winter squashes (certain varieties of Cucurbita maxima, C. moschata, and C. pepo). See also list of plants in the family Cucurbitaceae.

Most species are fast-growing prostrate or climbing vines with long-stalked palmate leaves that alternate along the stem. At the side of the leafstalk in annual species there is a simple, often branched, spirally coiled tendril. It is generally regarded by most botanists to be a modified shoot and serves to support the vining stems. Most species have unisexual flowers that are borne in the leaf axils and have five white or yellow petals. There are five sepals in each flower; male flowers have up to five anthers, often fused or joined in a complex way, and female flowers usually have three carpels. Known as a pepo, the fruit in most species is a fleshy many-seeded berry with a tough rind, often attaining considerable size. The seeds are flattened and some, such as those produced by the Javan cucumber (Alsomitra macrocarpa), have beautiful wings to aid in dispersal.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.