The document summarizes the characteristics of the Cucurbitaceae family. It includes 100 genera and 850 species of tendril climbing plants distributed widely in tropical and subtropical regions. The plants have weak stems, palmately lobed leaves, and unisexual flowers. Fruits are pepos and seeds are dicotyledonous. As an example, cucumbers are described as annual herbs with taproots, angular stems, and simple alternate leaves. They have unisexual flowers with 5 sepals and petals, and cucumbers fruits are oblong and cylindric when young.

2. Family cucurbitaceae
submitted to :-Dr. shela shinwari
dept:- biological sciences( botany bs-2)
presented by:- Iqra saeed and saira gulab

3. • SYSTEMATIC POSITION:
• DIVISION : Spermatophyta.
• SUB-DIVISION : Phanerogams.
• CLASS : Dicotyledons.
• ORDER : Passiflorales.
• FAMILY : Cucurbitaceae.

4. General characters
• Distribution:
Includes 100 genera & 850 species, widely
distributed in tropical & sub-tropical regions
of the world.
• The family Cucurbitaceae also called as
‘’Cucurbits’’ popularly known as ‘’Gourd
family’’.
• Utilized mainly as vegetables.

5. Contd....
• The plants are weak stemmed, tendril
climbers and tape root system
• Leaves are simple, alternate,
exstipulate, palmately lobed.
• Inflorescence is cymose solitary axillary
cyme.
• Flowers are unisexual, actinomorphic,
epigynous & incomplete, plant is
monoceious.
• Calyx consists of 5 fused sepals,
gamosepalous.

6. Contd......
• Corolla consists of 5 united petals, gamopetalous.
• Stamens are usually 3 & inserted on the calyx tube,
anthers are free
• Gynoecium is tricarpellary, inferior, syncarpous ovary,
trilocular in female flowers.
• Each locule contains many anatropous ovules in parietal
placentation.
• Style is simple. Stigma is trilobed
• Fruit is pepo.
• Seeds are dicotyledonous.

7. Cumis sativus ( cucumber)
Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Division Spermatophyta
Subdivision phanerogams
Class dicotyledons
Order passiflorales
Family Cucurbitaceae
Genus Cucumis
Species Cucumis sativus

8. Morphological
characters
• Habitat: Tropical & sub-tropical region.
• Habit:Annual or perennial herbs, mostly
are tendril climbers.
• Root: Tap root system.
• Stem: Herbaceous, usually climbing, glabrous.
It has Tendrils. Angular, scarbidulous hair.
• Leaves: cauline, ramal,Simple, alternate,
exstipulate, petiolate, reticulate
divergent multicostate, palmately lobed 3-8
lobed
• Leaf surface is hispidulous or scabridulous on
both sides
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

9. Cymose solitary axillary
Inflorescences
This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-SA.

10. Male flower (staminate
flower)
• Bracteate, pedicellate, incomplete, pentamerous, actinomorphic,
unisexual staminate
• Calyx
• Five sepals,polyseplous , campanulate, superior
• Corolla
• Five petals, gyamopetalous, imbricate velvet astivation, superior
• Androecium
• Five stamens, four united in pair and one free, sigmoid, superior
• Gynocium
• Absent
• Floral formula

11. Female flower (pistillate
flower)
• Pedicellate, incomplete, pentamerous, actinomorphic, unisexual pistillate, epigynous
• Calyx
• Five sepals,polypetlous, superior
• Corolla
• Five petals, gamopetalous, campanulate, superior
• Androecium
• Absent
• Gynoecium
• Tricarpellary, syncarpous, ovary inferior and unilocular, parietal placentation, stigma trilobed
• Floral formula

12. Fruit
Fruit oblong and cylindric, when
young sparsely tuberculated,
otherwise smooth and glabrous,
fleshy, friut type is pepo

13. seeds
• The seeds are flattened and some, such
as those produced by the
Javan cucumber (Alsomitra macrocarpa),
have beautiful wings to aid in dispersal.

14. Distinguishing characters
• Tendril climbers
• Herbs with weak stem
• Simple leaves of
palmate type
• Monoceious
• Syncarpous unilocular
inferior ovary
This Phoo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND.