Cucurbitaceae is the gourd order, a large and important group of herbaceous annual or perennial plants, with alternate leaves palmately veined and scabrous, and unisexual flowers and with succulent stems which climb by means of tendrils which spring from the base of the leaf-stalks. The leaves are usually lobed and rough; the flowers often large, white, red or yellow; the fruit juicy or fleshy. The sterna are scabrous, and the general habit is climbing or trailing, by means of tendrils. The order contains at least fifty-six genera and about 300 known species, and abounds in useful or remarkable plants, including the melon, gourd, cucumber, colocynth, bryony, etc. They are natives of both hemispheres, chiefly within the tropics. The annuals, however, are common in European gardens. Research Cucurbitaceae
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Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Nature
Research Cucurbitaceae
