Gourd Family (Cucurbitaceae) - Biology Of Gourds, Agricultural Species Of Gourds, More On The Cucurbita Squashes Of The Americas
plants
Gourds and their relatives are various species of plants in the family Cucurbitaceae. There are about 750 species in this family divided among 90 genera. Some members of the gourd family include the cucumber, squash, melon, and pumpkin. Most species of gourds are tropical or subtropical, but a few occur in temperate climates. A few species in the gourd family produce large, edible fruits, and some of these are ancient food plants. Gourds are still economically important as foods and for other reasons.
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Plants in the gourd family are herbaceous or semi-woody, climbing or trailing plants. Their leaves are commonly palmately lobed or unlobed and are arranged in an alternate fashion along the stem. Special structures known as tendrils develop in the area between the leaf and the stem in some species of gourds. The thin tendrils grow in a spiral and help to anchor the stem as it climbs or spreads ove…
Various species in the gourd family are cultivated as agricultural crops. The taxonomy of some of the groups
Yellow crookneck squash (Cucurbita pepo). JLM Visuals. Reproduced with permission.
of closely related species is not yet understood. For example, some of the many distinctive varieties of pumpkins and squashes are treated by some taxonomists as different species, whereas other bota…
The pre-Columbian aboriginal peoples of North, Central, and South America cultivated or otherwise used about 17 species of squashes and gourds in the genus Cucurbita, a genus indigenous to the Americas. The fruits of Cucurbitas were used by Native Americans in many ways, and some of these practices still persist. The ripe fruits can be cooked and eaten as vegetables. The fruits of several species …
Most species in the gourd family are tropical and subtropical in their distribution. However, a few species occur in the north-temperate zone, including several native to North America. These wild plants are not eaten by people. The creeping cucumber (Melothira pendula) is widespread in woods in the United States and south into Mexico. The bur-cucumber (Sicyos angulatus) occurs in moist habitats f…
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