Cucurbitaceae

Rare card · No. 57021

The Cucurbitaceae ( kew-KUR-bih-TAY-see-ee), also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in 101 genera. Some commonly cultivated cucurbits include: Cucurbita – squash, pumpkin, zucchini (courgette), some gourds. Lagenaria – calabash (bottle gourd) and other, ornamental gourds. Coccinia – the ivy gourd. Citrullus – watermelon (C. lanatus, C. colocynthis), plus several other species. Cucumis – cucumber (C. sativus); various melons and vines. Momordica – bitter melon. Luffa – commonly called 'luffa' or ‘luffa squash'; sometimes spelled loofah. Young fruits may be cooked; when fully ripened, they become fibrous and unpalatable, thus becoming the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge. Cyclanthera – caigua. Sicyos edulis – chayote. Gerrardanthus — the species G. macrorhizus has gained some popularity as an ornamental caudiciform plant. Xerosicyos — the silver dollar vine (Xerosicyos danguyi) is popular amongst horticulturists and plant collectors...

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