Plants usually vines, sometimes shrublike in Cucurbita, or perennial [annual] herbs (Melothria), usually monoecious or dioecious, rarely andromonoecious (Cucumis). Stems prostrate, procumbent, sprawling, trailing, or climbing; tendrils usually present, unbranched or branched. Leaves simple (also compound in Cyclanthera, Momordica), alternate, estipulate, petiolate (sessile or subsessile in Sicyos); blade unlobed or palmately, pedately, or pinnately lobed. Inflorescences paniculate, racemose, umbellate to subumbellate, fasciculate, corymbose, or solitary flowers. Flowers unisexual [bisexual]; sepals (4–)5(–6), sometimes vestigial (Cyclanthera), connate, calyx rotate, campanulate, saucer-shaped, or tubular, adnate to corolla, producing hypanthium; petals 5(–6), distinct or connate, imbricate or induplicate-valvate, usually yellow, orange, or white, sometimes green, margins entire, rarely fimbriate, corolla rotate, cupulate, campanulate, salverform, or funnelform; stamens (2–)3–5, with 4 mostly connate in pairs, appearing as only (1–)3 stamens; anthers connate or distinct, pepos, rarely capsules, elongate to globose, exocarp usually hard, sometimes fleshy and berrylike, glabrous or hairy, smooth or bristly, echinate, aculeate, muricate, tuberculate, or furrowed, indehiscent or dehiscent. Seeds mostly compressed, sometimes winged, arillate in Coccinia, Ibervillea, Momordica, and Tumamoca, exalbuminous; embryos straight.
Herbs, annual or perennial, or weak, woody shrubs with watery sap, scandent or prostrate. Roots fibrous or tuberous. Stem often angular. Leaves alternate, undivided or variously palmately or pedately divided, often cordate; tendrils solitary, lateral, simple or branched, spirally twisted, rarely absent; stipules absent. Plants monoecious or dioecious; flowers unisexual, very rarely bisexual; flowers paniculate, racemose, or subumbellate, rarely solitary. Calyx tube (hypanthium) adnate to ovary; tube rotate, campanulate, or saucer-shaped, usually 5-lobed; segments imbricate. Corolla usually sympetalous, inserted on calyx tube; segments valvate or involute. Stamens inserted at base or mouth of calyx tube, usually 5 or 3, of which one often 1-celled and other two 2-celled; filaments separate or variously united into a column; anthers separate or coherent into a head; anther cells straight to conduplicate, extrorse; rudimentary ovary often present in male flowers; staminodes often in female flowers. Ovary inferior or nearly completely so, mostly composed of 3 carpels, 3-locular, rarely 1- or 2- or spuriously 4-6-locular; ovules usually numerous, rarely few or solitary, horizontal, pendulous, or ascending, often immersed in pulp; placentas parietal, fleshy, often confluent at middle of ovary; style terminal, simple or branched at apex or styles free; stigma enlarged or 2-fid. Fruit usually a fleshy berry or corky, indehiscent or rarely opening by valves or by an operculum, rarely fibrous. Seeds often numerous, rarely few or solitary, horizontal, pendulous, or ascending, often compressed, rarely winged; endosperm absent; embryo with leaflike cotyledons and short radicle.
Monoecious or dioecious, the fls unisexual, epigynous, regular, gamopetalous or polypetalous; cal (3–)5(–6)-lobed, sometimes to the base; stamens attached to the hypanthium or seldom around the summit of the ovary, basically 5, unithecal, and alternate with the corolla- lobes, but in nearly all spp. showing some degree of displacement, reduction, and fusion, often apparently 3, 2 double with dithecal (tetrasporangiate) anthers, and one single, with a unithecal (bisporangiate) anther; ovary mostly of 3 carpels, unilocular with intruded, often much-enlarged parietal placentas, or these seldom joined in the center and the ovary thus plurilocular; style mostly solitary, with 1–3(–5) usually bilobed stigmas or stigma-lobes; fr usually a berry or pepo, less often a capsule; seeds (1–)many, large, commonly compressed, with oily embryo and 2 large, flat cotyledons; herbaceous or softly woody plants, trailing or more often climbing by spirally coiled tendrils, with mostly white or yellow or greenish fls and simple, alternate, exstipulate, often lobed lvs. 90/700, mainly warm reg.
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
Flowers monoecious or dioecious, very rarely hermaphrodite, actinomorphic
Seeds various, often flattened, without endosperm
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
Herbs or rarely undershrubs with watery juice, often scabrid; stems scandent or prostrate; tendrils mostly present, spirally coiled
Seeds 1-many, rather large, often compressed, sometimes winged; embryo large; endosperm absent
Fruit a dry or fleshy capsule, berry or hard-shelled pepo, variously dehiscent or indehiscent, rarely a 1-seeded samara
Staminodes often present in female flowers
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
Ovules anatropous, 1-many, horizontal, pendulous or ascending; style 1, with 2 or usually 3 stigma-lobes, or styles 3
Ovary inferior, unilocular or sometimes 3-locular, of usually 3 united carpels; placenta-tion parietal, rarely axillary, placentae often intrusive
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
Flowers unisexual, epigynous, monoecious or dioecious, axillary, variously arranged, the female commonly solitary. Glandular bract-like structures (probracts) sometimes present at base of peduncles
Receptacle-tube shallow to tubular, usually 5-lobed, lobes usually small
Petals usually 5, free or variously united, corolla mostly regular
Scandent or prostrate tendriliferous annual or perennial herbs or less often woody lianes, rarely erect herbs without tendrils, often with tuberous rootstock
Leaves alternate, palmately veined, simple or pedately compound
Receptacle-tube very shallow to elongated-tubular; lobes (3–)5
Petals (3–)5, free or united into a regular or slightly to rarely strongly zygomorphic corolla
Seeds large, commonly compressed, sometimes winged; embryo large; endosperm absent
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
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
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
Leaves alternate, simple and palmately veined or pedately compound with 3–25 leaflets, when simple usually very variable, petiolate
Woody or herbaceous mostly with climbing or trailing stems bearing tendrils and often arising from a tuberous rootstock, rarely without tendrils
Probracts (usually small, often glandular, foliar structures) sometimes present at the base of the peduncles
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
Flowers usually unisexual, monoecious or dioecious, axillary, variously arranged, but ? more commonly solitary than ?
Plantes'herbacées, parfois sous-ligneuses à la base ou plus rarement ligneuses, monoïques ou dioïques, annuelles ou vivaces, à tiges le plus souvent grimpantes ou rampantes; appareil souterrain souvent très développé.'Feuilles'alternes, à pétiole ± allongé, portant parfois des glandes au sommet du pétiole ou à la base du limbe; limbe simple, entier ou ± lobé, ou composé de plusieurs folioles, de forme très variable; présence aux nœuds d'une vrille simple ou multifide, spiralée au-dessus de la ramification, plus rarement au-dessous, parfois réduite à une épine ou absente; probractée parfois présente à la base du pédoncule florifère, généralement petite, à structure foliacée.'Fleurs'normalement unisexuées, axillaires, solitaires ou en inflorescences de types variés; pédicelle ± développé; bractée présente chez certains genres.'Fleurs'♂ à réceptacle peu profond ou campanulé ou en tube ± allongé; sépales ou lobes du réceptacle (3-4) 5, libres; corolle actinomorphe à l'exception de quelques cas de zygomorphie; pétales (3-4) 5, entièrement libres (dialypétalie) ou ± unis à la base (divers degrés de gamopétalie); androcée complexe; étamines insérées à différents niveaux sur le réceptacle, soit au nombre de 5, toutes équidistantes, alternisépales et à anthère bi- ou uniloculaire ou 4 étamines groupées par paires et 1 isolée, soit au nombre de 3 dont deux d'entre elles à anthère biloculaire et la troisième à anthère uniloculaire ou toutes les 3 à anthère biloculaire, soit encore au nombre de 2, l'une à anthère triloculare et l'autre à anthère biloculaire ou toutes les 2 à anthère biloculaire; filets libres ou ± soudés en une colonne centrale; anthères libres ou soudées ou simplement cohérentes au centre de la fleur, parfois soudées en un anneau horizontal; loges droites, arquées, recourbées en crochet, repliées 2 fois (tripliquées) ou très contournées (condupliquées); connectif parfois très développé et dépassant le sommet des loges; pistillode présent ou absent.'Fleurs'♀ à périanthe semblable à celui des fleurs ♂; staminodes souvent bien développés et occupant une place comparable à celle des étamines dans les fleurs ♂; ovaire infère, plus rarement semi-infère, 1- ou pluriloculaire, formé par la soudure de 2, 3 ou 5 carpelles, rarement constitué d'un seul carpelle; placentas pariétaux, plus rarement basaux ou apicaux; ovules 1 ou plusieurs, anatropes, horizontaux, plus rarement pendants ou dressés; styles 1 ou 3, entourés parfois à la base d'un anneau nectarifère ou de glandes; stigmates très souvent lobés.'Fruits'de taille variable, secs ou charnus, déhiscents par valves, par opercule, par pore apical ou irrégulièrement, ou indéhiscents, lisses ou ornementés de poils, d'épines ou de côtes; pulpe ± importante.'Graines solitaires ou le plus souvent très nombreuses par fruit, ± grandes, habituellement comprimées, parfois ailées; testa ornementé; embryon assez grand; endosperme absent.\n\t\t\tFamille pantropicale, comprenant 120 genres et 500 espèces. Pour la Flore : 25 genres et 74 espèces dont 1 imparfaitement connue.\n\t\t\tCertaines espèces ont une grande importance économique, en raison de leurs fruits qui sont largement consommés. Citons parmi les genres cultivés au Zaïre, au Rwanda et au Burundi :'Cucurbita ,'Trichosanthes'et'Cucumis .
SELECTED REFERENCES Bates, D. M., R. W. Robinson, and C. Jeffrey, eds. 1990. Biology and Utilization of the Cucurbitaceae. Ithaca, N.Y. Heiser, C. B. 1979. The Gourd Book. Norman. Jeffrey, C. 1962. Notes on Cucurbitaceae, including a proposed new classification of the family. Kew Bull. 15: 337–371. Jeffrey, C. 1971. Further notes on Cucurbitaceae: II. Kew Bull. 25: 191–236. Jeffrey, C. 1975. Further notes on Cucurbitaceae: IV. Some New World taxa. Kew Bull. 33: 347–380. Jeffrey, C. 1980b. A review of the Cucurbitaceae. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 81: 233–247. Jeffrey, C. 1990. An outline classification of the Cucurbitaceae. In: D. M. Bates et al., eds. 1990. Biology and Utilization of the Cucurbitaceae. Ithaca, N.Y. Pp. 449–463. Jeffrey, C. 2001. Cucurbitaceae. In: P. Hanelt, ed. 2001. Mansfeld’s Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops.... 6 vols. Berlin and New York. Vol. 3, pp. 1510–1557. Jeffrey, C. 2005. A new system of Cucurbitaceae. Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 90: 332–335. Jeffrey, C. and W. J. J. O. De Wilde. 2006. A review of the subtribe Thladianthinae (Cucurbitaceae). Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 91: 766–776. Kocyan, A. et al. 2007. A multi-locus chloroplast phylogeny for the Cucurbitaceae and its implications for character evolution and classification. Molec. Phylogen. Evol. 44: 553–577. Lira, R., J. L. Villaseñor, and P. D. Davila. 1997. A cladistic analysis of the subtribe Sicyinae (Cucurbitaceae). Syst. Bot. 22: 415–425. Nayar, N. M. and T. A. More, eds. 1998. Cucurbits. Enfield, N. H. Robinson, R. W. and D. S. Decker. 1997. Cucurbits. New York. Nesom, G. L. 2011c. Toward consistency of taxonomic rank in wild/domesticated Cucurbitaceae. Phytoneuron 2011-13: 1-33. Nesom, G. L. 2012f. Terms for surface vestiture and relief of Cucurbitaceae fruits. Phytoneuron 2012-108: 1–4. Schaefer, H., C. Heibl, and S. S. Renner. 2008. Gourds afloat: A dated phylogeny reveals an Asian origin of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) and numerous oversea dispersal events. Proc. Roy. Soc. Biol. Sci. B, 276: 843–851. Schaefer, H. and S. S. Renner. 2011. Cucurbitaceae. In: K. Kubitzki et al., eds. 1990+. The Families and Genera of Vascular Plants. 10+ vols. Berlin etc. Vol. 10, pp. 112–174. Schaefer, H. and S. S. Renner. 2011b. Phylogenetic relationships in the order Cucurbitales and a new classification of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). Taxon 60: 122–138. Singh, D. and A. S. R. Dathan. 1998. Morphology and embryology. In: N. M. Nayar and T. A. More, eds. 1998. Cucurbits. Enfield, N.H. Pp. 67–84. Stocking, K. M. 1955. Some considerations of the genera Echinocystis and Echinopepon in the United States and northern Mexico. Madroño 13: 84–100. Teppner, H. 2004. Notes on Lagenaria and Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae)––Review and new contributions. Phyton (Horn) 44: 245–308.
| Name | Language | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cucumber Family |
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