Cucurbitaceae

Taxonomy

Family name: Cucurbitaceae Jussieu

Synonym(s): Bryoniaceae G. Mey.; Cyclantheraceae Lilja; Nhandirobaceae T. Lestib., nom. illeg.; Zanoniaceae Dumort.

Common name(s): cucumber family

*Number of genera/species: 100/965

List of genera records in GRIN-Global

More about this family including a key, see, Cucurbit Website

Disseminule

fruit or seed

Description

Fruit usually indehiscent berry (soft or hard-shelled, referred to as a pome), rarely indehiscent samara (Sicyos spp.) or achene (e.g. Sicydium spp.), sometimes dehiscent, dry or fleshy, capsule. Fruits 10–600 mm long, variably shaped, compressed or terete in transection, rarely rostrate (Trochomeria) or winged (Momordica, Pteropepon), usually many-seeded. Pericarp often brightly colored and striped or spotted, usually fleshy, fibrous, pulpy or watery surrounded by thick, firm or woody wall, glabrous or pubescent, if hairy often densely so, with soft bristles or glandular hairs. Pericarp usually ornamented, including with spines, barbs, pustules, or warts.

Seed globose to reniform, often with one or two bulges on each side of hilum, usually flattened, sometimes lenticular or planoconvex in transection (terete in berries), with or without thickened margins, 2–60 mm long. Winged or not, see below. Aril, derived from placental tissue, often present in fleshy fruits and surrounds seed. Aril translucent (Cucumis), green (Cucurbitella), red, yellow, or white (Momordica). Seed coat black, brown (all shades), gray, green, yellow, cream-colored, white, or often multicolored or striped, dull, usually with a thick, woody (or bony) outer wall and papery inner wall, glabrous or pubescent, if hairy sometimes densely so. Seed coat usually smooth, sometimes grooved, wrinkled, pitted, striate, pustulate, or warty. Seeds one-seeded fruits often with thin seed coats. Hila inconspicuous.

Genera with winged seeds

Fleshy fruits: winged (Cyclanthera p.p.)

Dry fruits: membranous unilateral (Gerrardanthus, to 20 mm long, Neoalsomitra spp.), bilateral (Siolmatra) or peripheral (Bayabusua, to 50 mm in diam.) wing; woody peripheral wing (most species of Hemsleya), uniform in width; leathery unilateral wing (Zanonia, to 80 mm), narrowly winged (Gynostemma spp., Indofevillea, Neoalsomitra spp.); membranous wing, laterally expanded, butterfly-like to 120 mm wide (Alsomitra); strongly winged (Diplocyclos)

Embryo well developed, green or not, completely or nearly filling seed coat, parallel to seed length, foliate, straight, cotyledons well developed and large. Endosperm trace.

Identification features

Fruit
Type	berry, capsule, rarely samara or achene
Size range	10–600 mm long
Shape(s)	globose, ellipsoid, fusiform, ovoid, conical, pyriform, turbinate, claviform, cylindrical, oblong, bottle-shaped, trigonous, reniform, ± asymmetrically marsupiform
Texture	fleshy, fibrous, pulpy, with thick or thin firm or woody epicarp
Surface relief	smooth, 6–12 grooved, ribbed, pitted, echinate, barbed, warty, spiny, pustular
Color(s)	black, brown, yellow, orange, red, green, purple, often with stripes or spots, rarely metallic blue
Unique features	Usually brightly colored, firm-walled berries with large, numerous, thick walled, flattened, sometimes winged seeds.
Seed
Size range	2–60 mm long
Shape(s)	globose, ellipsoid, fusiform, linear, oblong, falcate, ovoid, pyriform, angular, ± turtle-shaped, horned or starshaped, reniform
Surface relief	smooth, grooved, wrinkled, pitted, striate, pustulate, warty
Color(s)	black, brown (all shades), gray, green, yellow, cream-colored, white, often multicolored or striped
Unique features	Usually large, flattened seeds, often brightly or multicolored, with thick, woody seed coats and well-developed, foliate embryos filling nearly the entire seed coat. Seeds sometimes winged. Brightly colored arillike tissue surround seeds in some genera.
Other
Embryo	well developed, green or not, completely or nearly filling seed coat, parallel to seed length, foliate, straight, cotyledons well developed and large
Nutritive tissue	endosperm trace

Distribution

Nearly worldwide distribution in temperate to subtropical regions.

Distribution map courtesy of Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.

References

Kirkbride et al. 2006; Kubitzki et al. 1990+; Schaefer 2020; USDA 1980; Takhtajan 2009

*The number of genera and species is based on Christenhusz and Byng 2016, which may differ from the number of genera in GRIN-Global.