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Electronic Flora of South Australia genus Fact Sheet

Family: Cucurbitaceae
Cucumis

Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 1011 (1753).

Derivation: Latin cucumis, cucumber.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Trailing or climbing annual herbs, rarely (not in S.Aust.) with perennial rootstocks; stems ridged, hispid; tendrils simple; leaves simple, dentate to palmately lobed.

Flowers mostly unisexual, rarely (not in S.Aust.) bisexual; male flowers solitary or in fascicles or racemes; hypanthium campanulate; calyx 5-lobed, lobes lanceolate to ovate; corolla deeply 5-lobed, lobes lanceolate to ovate, yellow; stamens 3, inserted about the middle of the hypanthium; anthers basifixed, 2 2-locular, and 1 1-locular, locules flexuose; connective appendages expanded; disk gland-like; female flowers solitary or in fascicles, sometimes co-axillary with the males; perianth similar to males; staminodes 3, rarely absent; ovary globose to ellipsoidal, variously hairy; ovules many; style inserted On the annular disk; stigma 3-lobed.

Fruit subglobose or ellipsoidal, fleshy, indehiscent; seeds many, elliptic, compressed, smooth, pale.

Distribution:  About 28 species of tropical and southern Africa, tropical Asia to Australia; 1 species native to Australia, 5 more or less naturalised; 1 species native to S.Aust., 1 naturalised.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:
1. Leaves truncate at the base; fruit ellipsoid, lacking soft bristles
C. melo 1.
1. Leaves cordate at the base; fruit subglobose, with soft bristles
C. myriocarpus 2.

Author: Not yet available


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