Cucurbitaceae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cucurbitaceae
Hodgsonia male plant
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae Juss.

Cucurbitaceae is a plant family commonly known as gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like cucumbers, squashes (including pumpkins), luffas, melons and watermelons. The family is predominantly distributed around the tropics, where those with edible fruits were amongst the earliest cultivated plants in both the Old and New Worlds.

Most of the plants in this family are annual vines but there are also woody lianas, thorny shrubs, and trees. Many species have large, yellow or white flowers. The stems are hairy. The fruit is often a kind of berry. There are about 825 species.

Related pages

• Cucurbita

Images for kids

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  Flower of Lagenaria captured at night

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  Pumpkins and squashes displayed in a show competition

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  A selection of cucurbits of the South Korean Genebank in Suwon

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  Cucurbits on display at the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid, with the title "Variedades de calabaza"

See also

In Spanish: Cucurbitáceas para niños