Cucurbitaceae Explained

The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species^[1] in 101 genera.^[2] Those of most agricultural, commercial or nutritional value to humans include:

• Cucurbita – squash, pumpkin, zucchini (courgette), some gourds.
• Lagenaria – calabash (bottle gourd) and other, ornamental gourds.
• Citrullus – watermelon (C. lanatus, C. colocynthis), plus several other species.
• Cucumis – cucumber (C. sativus); various melons and vines.
• Momordica – bitter melon.
• Luffa – commonly called 'luffa' or ‘luffa squash'; sometimes spelled loofah. Young fruits may be cooked; when fully ripened, they become fibrous and unpalatable, thus becoming the source of the loofah scrubbing sponge.
• Cyclanthera – Caigua.
• Gerrardanthus — the species G. macrorhizus has gained some popularity as an ornamental caudiciform plant.
• Xerosicyos — the silver dollar vine (Xerosicyos danguyi) is popular amongst horticulturists and plant collectors.

The plants in this family are grown around the tropics and in temperate areas of the world, where those with edible fruits were among the earliest cultivated plants in both the Old and New Worlds. The family Cucurbitaceae ranks among the highest of plant families for number and percentage of species used as human food.^[3] The name Cucurbitaceae comes to international scientific vocabulary from Neo-Latin, from Cucurbita, the type genus, + -aceae,^[4] a standardized suffix for plant family names in modern taxonomy. The genus name comes from the Classical Latin word , meaning "gourd".

Description

Most of the plants in this family are annual vines, but some are woody lianas, thorny shrubs, or trees (Dendrosicyos). Many species have large, yellow or white flowers. The stems are hairy and pentangular. Tendrils are present at 90° to the leaf petioles at nodes. Leaves are exstipulate, alternate, simple palmately lobed or palmately compound. The flowers are unisexual, with male and female flowers on different plants (dioecious) or on the same plant (monoecious). The female flowers have inferior ovaries. The fruit is often a kind of modified berry called a pepo.

Fossil history

One of the oldest fossil cucurbits so far is †Cucurbitaciphyllum lobatum from the Paleocene epoch, found at Shirley Canal, Montana. It was described for the first time in 1924 by the paleobotanist Frank Hall Knowlton. The fossil leaf is palmate, trilobed with rounded lobal sinuses and an entire or serrate margin. It has a leaf pattern similar to the members of the genera Kedrostis, Melothria and Zehneria.^[5]

Classification

Tribal classification

The most recent classification of Cucurbitaceae delineates 15 tribes:^{[6] [7]}

• Tribe Gomphogyneae Benth. & Hook.f.
  • Alsomitra (Blume) Spach (1 sp.)
  • Bayabusua (1 sp.)
  • Gomphogyne Griff. (2 spp.)
  • Gynostemma Blume (10 spp.)
  • Hemsleya Cogn. ex F.B.Forbes & Hemsl. (30 spp.)
  • Neoalsomitra Hutch. (12 spp.)
• Tribe Triceratieae A.Rich.
  • Cyclantheropsis Harms (3 spp.)
  • Fevillea L. (8 spp.)
  • Pteropepon (Cogn.) Cogn. (5 spp.)
  • Sicydium Schltdl. (9 spp.)
• Tribe Zanonieae Benth. & Hook.f.
  • Gerrardanthus Harvey in Hook.f. (3–5 spp.)
  • Siolmatra Baill. (1 sp.)
  • Xerosicyos Humbert (5 spp.)
  • Zanonia L. (1 sp.)
• Tribe Actinostemmateae H.Schaef. & S.S.Renner
  • Actinostemma Griff. (3 spp.)
  • Bolbostemma (2 spp.)
• Tribe Indofevilleeae H.Schaef. & S.S.Renner
  • Indofevillea Chatterjee (2 sp.)
• Tribe Thladiantheae H.Schaef. & S.S.Renner
  • Baijiania A.M.Lu & J.Q.Li (30 spp.)
  • Sinobaijiania (5 spp.)
  • Thladiantha Bunge 1833 (5 spp.)
• Tribe Siraitieae H. Schaef. & S.S. Renner
  • Siraitia Merr. (3–4 spp.)
• Tribe Momordiceae H.Schaef. & S.S.Renner
  • Momordica L. (60 spp.)
• Tribe Joliffieae Schrad.
  • Ampelosicyos Thouars (5 spp.)
  • Cogniauxia Baill. (2 spp.)
  • Telfairia Hook. (3 spp.)
• Tribe Bryonieae Dumort.
  • Austrobryonia H.Schaef. (4 spp.)
  • Bryonia L. (10 spp.)
  • Ecballium A.Rich. (1 sp.)
• Tribe Schizopeponeae C.Jeffrey
  • Herpetospermum Wall. ex Hook.f. (3 spp.)
  • Schizopepon Maxim. (6–8 spp.)
• Tribe Sicyoeae Schrad.
  • Brandegea Cogn. (1 sp.)
  • Cyclanthera Schrad. (40 spp.)
  • Echinocystis Torr. & A.Gray (1 sp.)
  • Echinopepon Naudin (19 spp.)
  • Hanburia Seem. (7 spp.)
  • Hodgsonia Hook.f. & Thomson (2 spp.)
  • Linnaeosicyos H.Schaef. & Kocyan (1 sp.)
  • Luffa Mill. (5–7 spp.)
  • Marah Kellogg (7 spp.)
  • Microsechium (4 spp.)
  • Nothoalsomitra Hutch. (1 sp.)
  • Parasicyos (2 sp.)
  • Sechiopsis (5 spp.)
  • Sicyocaulis (1 sp.)
  • Sicyos L. (64 spp., including Frantzia Pittier and Sechium P.Browne)
  • Sicyosperma (1 sp.)
  • Trichosanthes L. (≤100 spp.)
• Tribe Coniandreae Endl.
  • Apodanthera Arn. (16 spp.)
  • Bambekea Cogn. (1 sp.)
  • Ceratosanthes Adans. (4 spp.)
  • Corallocarpus Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f. (17 spp.)
  • Cucurbitella Walp. (1 sp.)
  • Dendrosicyos Balf.f. (1 sp.)
  • Doyerea Grosourdy (1 sp.)
  • Eureiandra Hook.f. (8 spp.)
  • Gurania (Schltdl.) Cogn. (37 spp.)
  • Halosicyos Mart.Crov (1 sp.)
  • Helmontia Cogn. (2–4 spp.)
  • Ibervillea Greene (8 spp.)
  • Kedrostis Medik. (28 spp.)
  • Psiguria Neck. ex Arn. (6–12 spp.)
  • Seyrigia Keraudren (6 spp.)
  • Trochomeriopsis Cogn. (1 sp.)
  • Wilbrandia Silva Manso (5 spp.)
• Tribe Benincaseae Ser.
  • Acanthosicyos Welw. ex Hook.f. (1 sp.)
  • Benincasa Savi (2 spp., including Praecitrullus Pangalo)
  • Blastania (3 spp., including Ctenolepis Hook.f.)
  • Borneosicyos (1–2 spp.)
  • Cephalopentandra Chiov. (1 sp.)
  • Citrullus Schrad. (4 spp.)
  • Coccinia Wight & Arn. (30 spp.)
  • Cucumis L. (65 spp.)
  • Dactyliandra Hook.f. (2 spp.)
  • Diplocyclos (Endl.) T.Post & Kuntze (4 spp.)
  • Indomelothria (2 spp.)
  • Khmeriosicyos (1 sp.)
  • Lagenaria Ser. (6 spp.)
  • Lemurosicyos Keraudren (1 sp.)
  • Melothria L. (12 spp., including M. scabra)
  • Muellerargia Cogn. (2 sp.)
  • Oreosyce (1 sp.)
  • Papuasicyos (8 spp.)
  • Peponium Engl. (20 spp.)
  • Raphidiocystis Hook.f. (5 spp.)
  • Ruthalicia C.Jeffrey (2 spp.)
  • Scopellaria W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes (2 spp.)
  • Solena Lour. (3 spp.)
  • Trochomeria Hook.f. (8 spp.)
  • Zehneria Endl. (ca. 60 spp.)
• Tribe Cucurbiteae Ser.
  • Abobra Naudin (1 sp.)
  • Calycophysum H.Karst. & Triana (5 spp.)
  • Cayaponia Silva Manso (74 spp.)
  • Cionosicys Griseb. (4–5 spp.)
  • Cucurbita L. (15 spp.)
  • Penelopeia Urb. (2 spp.)
  • Peponopsis Naudin (1 sp.)
  • Polyclathra Bertol. (6 spp.)
  • Schizocarpum Schrad. (11 spp.)
  • Selysia Cogn. (4 spp.)
  • Sicana Naudin (4 spp.)
  • Tecunumania Standl. & Steyerm. (1 sp.)

Systematics

Modern molecular phylogenetics suggest the following relationships:^{[6] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]}

Notes and References

1. Christenhusz. M. J. M. . Byng. J. W. . amp . 2016 . The number of known plants species in the world and its annual increase . . 261 . 201–217 . 10.11646/phytotaxa.261.3.1 . 3 . free .
2. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30000781-2 Cucurbitaceae Juss.
3. Web site: Cucurbits . . 2013-08-26.
4. Encyclopedia: Cucurbitaceae . Merriam-Webster's Unabridged Dictionary . . 2016-07-25 . 2020-05-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200525084504/https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/subscriber/login?redirect_to=%2Funabridged%2F . dead .
5. Revisions to Roland Brown's North American Paleocene Flora by Steven R. Manchester at Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Published in Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae, Series B – Historia Naturalis, vol. 70, 2014, no. 3-4, pp. 153–210.
6. Schaefer H, Renner SS . 2011 . Phylogenetic relationships in the order Cucurbitales and a new classification of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) . . 60 . 1 . 122–138 . 10.1002/tax.601011 . 41059827 .
7. Schaefer H, Kocyan A, Renner SS . 2007 . Phylogenetics of Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae): Cucumber (C. sativus) belongs in an Asian/Australian clade far from melon (C. melo) . . 7 . 58–69 . 10.1186/1471-2148-7-58 . 17425784 . 3225884 . free .
8. ((Zhang L-B)), Simmons MP, Kocyan A, Renner SS . 2006 . Phylogeny of the Cucurbitales based on DNA sequences of nine loci from three genomes: Implications for morphological and sexual system evolution . . 39 . 2 . 305–322 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130908221529/http://www.umsl.edu/~renners/Zhang_Cucurbitales_MPE2006.pdf . 2013-09-08 . live . 10.1016/j.ympev.2005.10.002 . 16293423.
9. Schaefer H, Heibl C, Renner SS . 2009 . Gourds afloat: A dated phylogeny reveals an Asian origin of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae) and numerous oversea dispersal events . . 276 . 1658 . 843–851 . 10.1098/rspb.2008.1447. 19033142 . 2664369 .
10. de Boer HJ, Schaefer H, Thulin M, Renner SS . 2012 . Evolution and loss of long-fringed petals: A case study using a dated phylogeny of the snake gourds, Trichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae) . . 12 . 108 . 10.1186/1471-2148-12-108. 22759528 . 3502538 . free .
11. Belgrano MJ . 2012 . Estudio sistemático y biogeográfico del género Apodanthera Arn. (Cucurbitaceae) . Systematic and biogeographic study of the genus Apodanthera Arn. (Cucurbitaceae) . Ph.D. . Universidad Nacional de La Plata .
12. Book: Renner SS, Schaefer H . 2016 . Phylogeny and evolution of the Cucurbitaceae . Grumet R, Katzir N, Garcia-Mas J . Genetics and Genomics of Cucurbitaceae . 20 . Plant Genetics and Genomics: Crops and Models . New York, NY . Springer International Publishing . 1–11 . 10.1007/7397_2016_14. 978-3-319-49330-5 .