Cucurbitaceae is a family of plants including the melon, cucumber, calabash, squash, and luffa. It is one of the most important families of food plants in the world, although not nearly as important as the grass family, Poaceae, legume family, Fabaceae, or Nightshade family, Solanaceae.

Most of the plants in this family are annual vines with fairly large, showy blossoms.

Most of the plants in this family are readily susceptible to a moth larva, the squash borer.

Classification

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There are about 118 extant genera in Cucurbitaceae, including 825 species. The following is the classification as given by Charles Jeffrey as of 1990.

Subfamily Zanonioideae (small striate pollen grains)

• Tribe Zanonieae
  • Subtribe Fevilleinae: Fevillea
  • Subtribe Zanoniinae: Alsomitra Zanonia Siolmatra Gerrardanthus Zygosicyos Xerosicyos Neoalsomitra
  • Subtribe Gomphogyninae: Hemsleya Gomphogyne Gynostemma
  • Subtribe Actinostemmatinae: Bolbostemma Actinostemma
  • Subtribe Sicydiinae: Sicydium Chalema Pteropepon Pseudosicydium Cyclantheropsis

Subfamily Cucurbitoideae (styles united into a single column)

• Tribe Melothrieae
  • Subtribe Dendrosicyinae: Kedrostis Dendrosicyos Corallocarpus Ibervillea Tumamoca Halosicyos Ceratosanthes Doyerea Trochomeriopsis Seyrigia Dieterlea Cucurbitella Apodanthera Guraniopsis Melothrianthus Wilbrandia
  • Subtribe Guraniinae: Helmontia Psiguria Gurania
  • Subtribe Cucumerinae: Melancium Cucumeropsis Posadaea Melothria Muellarargia Zehneria Cucumella Cucumis Oreosyce Myrmecosicyos Mukia Dicoelospermum
  • Subtribe Trochomeriinae: Solena Trochomeria Dactyliandra Ctenolepsis
• Tribe Schizopeponeae: Schizopepon
• Tribe Joliffieae
  • Subtribe Thladianthinae: Indofevillea Siraitia Thladiantha Momordica
  • Subtribe Telfairiinae: Telfaria
• Tribe Trichosantheae
  • Subtribe Hodgsoniinae: Hodgsonia
  • Subtribe Ampelosicyinae: Ampelosicyos Peponium
  • Subtribe Trichosanthinae: Gymnopetalum Trichosanthes Tricyclandra
  • Subtribe Herpetosperminae: Cephalopentandra Biswarea Herpetospermum Edgaria
• Tribe Benincaseae
  • Subtribe Benincasinae: Cogniauxia Ruthalicia Lagenaria Benincasa Praecitrullus Citrullus Acanthosicyos Eureiandra Bambekea Nothoalsomitra Coccinia Diplocyclos Raphidiocystis Lemurosicyos Zombitsia Ecballium Bryonia
  • Subtribe Luffinae: Luffa
• Tribe Cucurbiteae (pantoporate, spiny pollen): ''Cucurbita Sicana Tecunumania Calycophysum Peponopsis Anacaona Polyclathra Schizocarpum Penelopeia Cionosicyos Cayaponia Selysia Abobra
• Tribe Sicyeae (trichomatous nectary, 4- to 10-colporate pollen grains)
  • Subtribe Cyclantherinae: ''Hanburia Echinopepon Marah Echinocystis Vaseyanthus Brandegea Apatzingania Cremastopus Elateriopsis Pseudocyclanthera Cyclanthera Rytidostylis
  • Subtribe Sicyinae: Sicyos Sicyosperma Parasicyos Microsechium Sechium Sechiopsis Pterosicyos
• incertae sedis: Odosicyos

Alphabetical list of genera: Abobra Acanthosicyos Actinostemma Alsomitra Ampelosycios Anacaona Apatzingania Apodanthera Bambekea Benincasa Biswarea Bolbostemma Brandegea Bryonia Calycophysum Cayaponia Cephalopentandra Ceratosanthes Chalema Cionosicyos Citrullus Coccinia Cogniauxia Corallocarpus Cremastopus Ctenolepis Cucumella Cucumeropsis Cucumis Cucurbita Cucurbitella Cyclanthera Dactyliandra Dendrosicyos Dicoelospermum Dieterlea Diplocyclos Doyerea Ecballium Echinocystis Echinopepon Edgaria Elateriopsis Eureiandra Fevillea Gerrardanthus Gomphogyne Gurania Guraniopsis Gymnopetalum Gynostemma Halosicyos Hanburia Helmontia Hemsleya Herpetospermum Hodgsonia Ibervillea Indofevillea Kedrostis Lagenaria Lemurosicyos Luffa Marah Melancium Melothria Melothrianthus Microsechium Momordica Muellerargia Mukia Myrmecosicyos Neoalsomitra Nothoalsomitra Odosicyos Oreosyce Parasicyos Penelopeia Peponium Peponopsis Polyclathra Posadaea Praecitrullus Pseudocyclanthera Pseudosicydium Psiguria Pteropepon Pterosicyos Raphidiocystis Ruthalicia Rytidostylis Schizocarpum Schizopepon Sechiopsis Sechium Selysia Seyrigia Sicana Sicydium Sicyos Sicyosperma Siolmatra Siraitia Solena Tecunumania Telfairia Thladiantha Trichosanthes Tricyclandra Trochomeria Trochomeriopsis Tumacoca Vaseyanthus Wilbrandia Xerosicyos Zanonia Zehneria Zombitsia Zygosicyos Ref: Watson and Dallwitz 2002-09-03

References

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External links

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• Cucurbitaceae in T.C. Andres (1995 onwards).
• Cucurbitaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. http://delta-intkey.com
• J.H. Kirkbride Jr and M.J. Dallwitz (2000 onwards). Cucumis and Cucumella (Cucurbitaceae): cucumbers and melons.
• Cucurbit seed as possible oil & protein sources

Cucurbitaceae | Plant families | Cucurbitales

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