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CUCURBITACEAE

GOURD FAMILY

Robert L. Schlising

Annual, perennial herb, generally monoecious; hairs often hardened by calcium deposits
Stems trailing or climbing, 1–many; tendril generally 1 per node, often branched
Leaves generally simple, alternate, generally palmately lobed, veined, petioled; stipule 0
Inflorescences at nodes; staminate flowers in racemes, panicles, small clusters, rarely solitary; pistillate flowers generally solitary
Flower unisexual in CA, radial; hypanthium > ovary; calyx (apparently 0 or) generally 5-lobed; corolla rotate or cup-shaped, generally 5-lobed; stamens 3–5 (or appearing 1–3 from fusion), anthers often > filaments, twisted together; ovary ± inferior, chambers generally 5, placentas parietal, ± growing into chambers, styles 1–3, stigmas generally lobed, large
Fruit: berry (sometimes drying) or capsule (irregularly dehiscent), generally gourd- or melon-like
Seeds 1–many
Genera in family: 100 genera, 700 species: especially tropical; some cultivated (Citrullus ; Cucumis ; Cucurbita ; Sechium , chayote). Citrullus colocynthis var. lanatus has been reported as a weed in DSon.

CUCUMIS

CUCUMBER, MELON

Annual, perennial herb
Stem generally scabrous; tendril unbranched
Leaf angled to ± palmately lobed; 1° lobes ± entire to irregularly lobed
Inflorescences: staminate flowers 1–several per node; pistillate flowers generally 1 at different nodes
Flower: corolla 2–3 cm wide, rotate or shallowly cup-shaped, yellow, deeply 5-lobed, fused portion < 1 cm; anthers 3, free; styles 3–5, ± reniform
Fruit gourd- or melon-like, indehiscent, cylindric to round; rind firm, net-veined or hairy, prickles 0 or weak
Seeds many, < 1 cm, ± flat; margin plain
Species in genus: ± 40 species: Africa, s Asia
Etymology: (Greek: cucumber)

Introduced

C. melo L. var. dudaim (L.) Naudin

DUDAIM MELON


Fruit cylindric to ± round, orange, sometimes irregularly blotched or striped
Ecology: Fields, roadsides
Elevation: < 200 m.
Bioregional distribution: n South Coast (Santa Barbara Co.), se Sonoran Desert (Imperial Co.)
Distribution outside California: native to Africa
Weedy.

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