Cucurbitaceae Juss.

Cucurbitaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit

Herbs or rarely undershrubs with watery juice, often scabrid; stems scandent or prostrate; tendrils mostly present, spirally coiled

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers monoecious or dioecious, very rarely hermaphrodite, actinomorphic Female flower: calyx-tube adnate to the ovary and often produced beyond it; staminodes usually not present; ovary inferior or very rarely free; placentas often 3, parietal but often meeting in the middle; ovules numerous, rarely few, arranged towards the walls of the ovary; style simple or rarely 3 free styles; stigmas thick Male flower: calyx tubular, lobes imbricate or open; corolla polypetalous or gamopetalous, lobes imbricate or induplicate-valvate; stamens free or variously united, mostly 3, rarely 1–5, one anther always 1-celled, the others 2-celled, cells straight or often curved, flexuous or conduplicate, connective often produced

sex Male

Male flower: calyx tubular, lobes imbricate or open; corolla polypetalous or gamopetalous, lobes imbricate or induplicate-valvate; stamens free or variously united, mostly 3, rarely 1–5, one anther always 1-celled, the others 2-celled, cells straight or often curved, flexuous or conduplicate, connective often produced

sex Female

Female flower: calyx-tube adnate to the ovary and often produced beyond it; staminodes usually not present; ovary inferior or very rarely free; placentas often 3, parietal but often meeting in the middle; ovules numerous, rarely few, arranged towards the walls of the ovary; style simple or rarely 3 free styles; stigmas thick

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds various, often flattened, without endosperm

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1967

Morphology General Habit

Woody or herbaceous mostly with climbing or trailing stems bearing tendrils and often arising from a tuberous rootstock, rarely without tendrils

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, simple and palmately veined or pedately compound with 3–25 leaflets, when simple usually very variable, petiolate Tendrils lateral, stipular in position, usually one at each node, either simple or proximally 2–7-fid and spiralling only above the point of branching, or apically bifid and spiralling above and below the point of branching, rarely reduced to spines or absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Probracts (usually small, often glandular, foliar structures) sometimes present at the base of the peduncles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers usually unisexual, monoecious or dioecious, axillary, variously arranged, but ? more commonly solitary than ?

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Hypanthium

Receptacle-tube very shallow to elongated-tubular; lobes (3–)5

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals (3–)5, free or united into a regular or slightly to rarely strongly zygomorphic corolla

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens basically 5, alternate with the petals, inserted on the receptacle-tube or on the basal disk, but always modified in one or more ways, giving the following conditions: stamens 5, equidistant or in 2 pairs with 1 single; stamens 4; stamens 3, 2 double and 1 single, free or with the anthers ± united, or with the filaments united into a central column and the anthers free or united; or stamens 2, 1 triple, 1 double; thecae straight, hooked, arcuate, duplicate, triplicate or triplicate and contorted, sometimes the filaments united and the thecae horizontal, forming a central equilateral triangle, split ring or continuous ring; staminodes often present in ? flowers

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary usually inferior, generally 1-locular, composed of (2–)3(–5) united carpels or rarely of 1 carpel only; placentation parietal or rarely axillary, sometimes apical, basal or apical and basal, sometimes obscured by the often large placentas; ovules anatropous, 1–many, horizontal, pendulous, or ascending; style 1, with usually 3 bilobed stigmas or stigma-lobes, or styles (2–)3, each with 1 bilobed stigma

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a dry or fleshy capsule, berry or hard-shelled pepo, indehiscent or dehiscent by valves, an operculum, slits or apical pores or irregularly, or rarely samaroid, smooth or variously ornamented, 1–many-seeded, sometimes very large

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds large, commonly compressed, sometimes winged; embryo large; endosperm absent

Timothy Utteridge & Gemma Bramley (2020). The Kew Tropical Plant Families Identification Handbook, Second Edition. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Note

Most often climbers with tendrils at 90° to petiole. Leaves alternate, simple or palmately compound with 3 or more leaflets, often rough. Flowers unisexual; ovary inferior. Fruit a hard or soft skinned berry or a dry to fleshy capsule.

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Vitaceae: leaf-opposed tendrils, ovary superior. Passifloraceae: axillary tendrils, glands on the petiole. Convolvulaceae: no tendrils, tubular bisexual flower; ovary superior. Menispermaceae: seed often horse-shoe shaped, flowers very small.

Morphology General Habit

Usually climbers, rarely shrubs or trees; climbing by a simple or branched tendril arising at 90° to the petiole base

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules absent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, simple, often lobed, or palmately compound with 3 or more leaflets, usually roughly hairy

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence solitary or in cymes, racemes or panicles, usually axillary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers actinomorphic, nearly always unisexual (plants monoecious or dioecious); calyx (3–)5(–7)-lobed arising from the top of a hypanthium; corolla (3–)5(–7)-lobed, usually white to yellow/orange, petals usually fused at the base; stamens 1–5, attached to the top of the hypanthium, free or united in various ways; ovary inferior with 3 fused carpels, 1-locular with parietal placentation or 2–5 locular by intrusive placentas, ovules 1–many; styles usually 1, sometimes 3

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a berry, hard or soft-skinned, or a fleshy or dry capsule, either indehiscent or dehiscent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds often flattened and pitted or winged, non-endospermic.

Distribution

Around 103 genera with 1,000 species. Largely tropical and subtropical, especially in the drier parts of Africa, poorly represented in temperate areas and in Australasia.

Description Author

Gemma Bramley

Gemma Bramley, Anna Trias-Blasi & Richard Wilford (2023). The Kew Temperate Plant Families Identification Handbook. Kew Publishing Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Recognition

Characters of similar families: Vitaceae: leaf-opposed inflorescence, ovary superior. Convolvulaceae: tendrils absent, tubular bisexual flower, ovary superior. Smilacaceae: tendrils in pairs, often prickles present on stems and/or leaves, inflorescence an umbel, flowers inconspicuous, ovary superior.

Morphology General Habit

Usually climbers, sometimes scrambling, rarely decumbent shrubs Climbing by a simple or branched tendril arising 90° to the petiole base

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules absent

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, simple, often lobed, sometimes palmately compound, venation generally palmate, usually with rough hairs and with a foetid smell

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescence solitary or in cymes, axillary

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers unisexual in monoecious and dioecious plants, actinomorphic; calyx (3–)5(–7)-merous with lobes arising from a hypanthium; corolla (3–)5(–7)-merous usually white to yellow and orange, rarely red or pink; stamens 1–5, attached to the top of the hypanthium, anthers dehiscing longitudinally; ovary inferior with 3 fused carpels, usually with parietal placentation or 2–5 locular by intrusive placentas; style usually 1, sometimes 3, generally stout, stigmas bifid

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually a hard-skinned berry, sometimes small soft-skinned small berries, sometimes a fleshy capsule, either dehiscent or indehiscent, 1–many-seeded

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds usually tear-shaped and flattened, sometimes with irregular margins and varied ornamentation, sometimes winged, embryo oily and non-endospermic.

Distribution

Cucurbitaceae comprises ca. 800 species in 120 genera. It is mostly tropical and subtropical, but some genera are completely or partially distributed in temperate areas.

Note

Usually climbers with tendrils at 90° from the petiole. Leaves simple, often lobed or palmately compound. Leaflets often roughly hairy. Inflorescences usually axillary. Flowers unisexual, ovary inferior. Fruit a berry, hard or soft-skinned, or a fleshy or dry capsule.

Description Author

Anna Trias-Blasi

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit

Scandent or prostrate tendriliferous annual or perennial herbs or less often woody lianes, rarely erect herbs without tendrils, often with tuberous rootstock

Morphology Leaves

Leaves alternate, palmately veined, simple or pedately compound Tendrils lateral to the petiole base, simple, distally 2-fid or proximally 2–7-fid, rarely reduced to spines or absent, usually 1 at each node

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers unisexual, epigynous, monoecious or dioecious, axillary, variously arranged, the female commonly solitary. Glandular bract-like structures (probracts) sometimes present at base of peduncles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle

Receptacle-tube shallow to tubular, usually 5-lobed, lobes usually small

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals usually 5, free or variously united, corolla mostly regular

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium

Stamens basically 5, androecium always variously modified, commonly appearing as 2 double stamens and 1 single stamen, free or variously coherent or united; antherthecae often convoluted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Sterile Parts

Staminodes often present in female flowers

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium

Ovary inferior, unilocular or sometimes 3-locular, of usually 3 united carpels; placenta-tion parietal, rarely axillary, placentae often intrusive Ovules anatropous, 1-many, horizontal, pendulous or ascending; style 1, with 2 or usually 3 stigma-lobes, or styles 3

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit a dry or fleshy capsule, berry or hard-shelled pepo, variously dehiscent or indehiscent, rarely a 1-seeded samara

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 1-many, rather large, often compressed, sometimes winged; embryo large; endosperm absent

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Climbing or creeping herbs of rapid growth and with abundant watery sap, annual or perennial, usually with lateral tendrils which are interpreted as modified stipules; leaves alternate, simple or palmately lobed or divided, often cordate and of membranous texture, and usually with long petioles

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers regular, axillary, solitary or in racemes, cymes or panicles, unisexual, monoecious or rarely dioecious

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Calyx of 5 (rarely of 3 or 6) sepals united below into a bell-shaped tube

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 5 (rarely 3 or 6), free or united

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 3 (rarely 5) of which one has a 1-celled anther, the others 2-celled; filaments short; anthers free or cohering into a head, often contorted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary inferior (or in Sechium with the apex free), 3-celled, each cell representing a carpel, the placentas meeting in the axis; style terminal, simple or lobed; ovules few to numerous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit usually a fleshy or corky berry (rarely a capsule), usually indehiscent (but in Momordica opening by valves); seeds 1 or few to many, compressed, without endosperm, the cotyledons foliaceous.

Distribution

A largely pantropical family of more than 100 genera and perhaps 850 species.

Use

Many produce edible fruits, but a few are poisonous.