Trends in Biosciences 11(14), Print : ISSN 0974-8431, 2417-2419, 2018

Cucurbitaceae Family with Flowering & Fruiting Process DEEPIKA SHARMA AND A.K. SONI* Dept of Horticulture, SKN College of Agriculture, Jobner SKN Agricultural University, Jobner, *email : [email protected]

ABSTRACT polypetalous (Luffa, ), may be campanulate, Prostrate herb bearing tendrils; leaves palmately lobed, rotate, imbricate or valvate aestivation. surface hispid; flowers pentamerous, unisexual, Androecium: monoecious or less commonly dioecious; stamens five, Stamens 5, sometimes free or combined to form a usually less, anthers free or connate, ovary inferior, central column, anthers dithecous extrorse, dehiscence trilocular, parietal placentation, fleshy, pepo. Vascular longitudinal or in curves; androecium may be modified in bundles bicollateral and in two alternating rows. one of the following ways: 1. In Thaldiantha two pairs of stamens are closely Key words , Plants, Flowering, Fruiting Process approximated in the lower part of their filaments and the fifth stands apart.

A. Vegetative characters: 2. In Sincydium the pairs of stamens are united below; in , , the union of pairs of stamens Habit: is complete and apparently only three stamens are Mostly annual or perennial herbs, rarely shrubs present. () or small trees (), usually 3. In and the filaments unite to form a trailing, climbing by means of tendrils. central column and the anthers are very much curved. Root: 4. In Cyclantliera the stamens are united into a central Tap root, branched may be thickened due to storage column with two ring like pollen chambers running of food and water. round the top. (Compare with the condition found in Stem: Phyllanthus of the Euphorbiaceae). Herbaceous, climbing, angular, fistular, branched. 5. In Fevillea a polyandrous condition is found with all the five stamens free and alternating to the five free Leaves: petals. This is a primitive genus. Alternate, petiolate- petiole long and hollow; simple, Gynoecium: lobed, exstipulate, palmately veined; tendrils present in the axil of leaf or opposite to the leaf. In Acanthosicyos the Reduced or rudimentary or absent. leaves are absent but thorns are present. Female flower: INTRODUCTION They are fewer in number than the male flowers. Inflorescence: Calyx: There is great variation in the inflorescence. Flowers Sepals 5, gamosepalous, calyx tube adnate to the are solitary, or racemose or cymose panicles ovary wall; imbricate aestivation, superior. (Actinostemma). Corolla: Flower: Petals 5, gamopetalous, inserted on calyx tube; Regular, mostly unisexual rarely bisexual imbricate aestivation, superior. (Schizopepon), incomplete, epigynous, small or large, Androecium: mostly white or yellow, pentamerous. Staminodes 0, 3, 5. Male flower: Gynoecium: Produced in large numbers. Tricarpellary, syncarpous, ovary inferior, unilocular Calyx: with parietal placentation, the intruding placentae make the Sepals 5, gamosepalous, sepals pointed, rarely ovary to appear trilocular. petaloid, campanulate, aestivation imbricate. In the ovary is narrow and ultimately 3-4 celled Corolla: and apparently of the axile type. In Sechium the ovary is Petals 5, gamopetalous united at the base unilocular with only a single ovule; ovule bitegmic. Style (Momordica) or through out (, Coccinea), stout and columnar and bears a forked stigma for each 2418 Trends in Biosciences 11 (14), 2018 carpel. 4. Benincasa heipida is Petha: The stigmas are commissural i.e. stand above the Benincasa heipida is Petha. It is used as ; dividing lines between the carpels. This is explained by PETHE-KI-MITHAI is also prepared from the . assuming that each is a joint structure and composed of a 5. Lagenaria vulgaris is Lauki: branch of the stigmas of two adjacent carpels. Lagenaria vulgaris is Lauki; the fruit is commonly used Fruit: as a vegetable. From ripe fruit-shells sitar is made. Soft, fleshy, indehiscent and either a berry or pepo. 6. dioca is Parwal: Fruits sometimes very large in size (Citrullus sp. Benincasa sp., Cucurbita sp.). In the fruit is highly turgid Trichosanthes dioca is Parwal whose fruits are also when ripe and dispersal is by explosion. used in vegetable preparations. T. anguina is Chachinga which is also used as vegetable. Seed: 7. Luffa acutangula is Torai: Exalbuminous, flattened, numerous, embryo straight, cotyledons large and oily. Luffa acutangula is Torai. This is also a popular vegetable. Pollination: 8. Momordica charantia is Karela: Entomophilous. Momordica charantia is Karela. The fruits are bitter Floral formulae: but used in vegetable preparations. It is said to be useful in gout and rheumatism. II. Medicine: There are a few plants also important medicinally. 9. Citrullus colocynthis – produces the alkaloid colocynthin from its fruits. The fruits and roots are used against snake bite. The alkaloid is also used in other diseases. 10. Ecballium elatarium fruits produce elaterium of medicine which has narcotic effect and useful in hydrophobia. III. Ornamental: Some plants viz., Ecballium, Sechium, Sicyos are grown Distribution of Cucurbitaceae: in gardens. It is commonly called family. The family has Primitive characters: 110 genera and 850 species out of which 86 species are 1. Leaves simple and alternate. found in . The members are chiefly inhabitants of tropical regions; a few in temperate regions. The members 2. Flowers actinomorphic. are wanting in the colder regions. 3. Petals and stamens are free in some genera. Economic Importance of Cucurbitaceae: 4. Ovules bitegmic. This family is particularly important economically because its fruits are edible. Advanced characters: I. and fruits: 1. Plants herbaceous and climbers. 1. melo ( – Kharbuza): 2. Leaves exstipulate and palmately lobed. The fruits are edible and a number of varieties are 3. Flowers unisexual and epigynous. known. C. melo var. momordica is Phut and C. melo var. 4. Calyx gamosepalous. utilissimus is Kakri. Cucumis sativus is Khira. 5. Stamens 3 to 5 in number. 2. Citrullus vulgaris (Hindi – Tarbuz): 6. Stamens show tendency towards fusion. The fruits are large and ripen during summers; it is cultivated on the sandy beds of rivers. C. vulgaris var. 7. Anther lobes curved and controlled. fistulosus is which is used as vegetable. 8. Gynoecium syncarpous. 3. Cucurbita maxima is Kaddu: 9. Ovules campylotropuous. Cucurbita maxima is Kaddu while C. pepo is Safed Kaddu; both are used as vegetable. 10. Fruit simple. 11. Seeds non-endospermic. SHARMA and SONI, Cucurbitaceae Family Plants with Flowering & Fruiting Process 2419

DISCUSSION polycolporate. , Cyclanthera. Common of the family: 5. Sicyocae: 1. Cucurbita: Ovule solitary, pendulous; pollen spinulose, polycolporate. Sicyos, Sechium. Cultivated for vegetables. 6. Cucurbiteae: 2. Trichosanthes: Ovules many, horizontal or 1 to few, ascending, pollen Scandent herb cultivated for delicious vegetable. spinose: pentaporate. Cucurbita, , . 3. Lagenaria (H. Lauki): (c) Receptacle tube relatively long, alike in male and female Cultivated for common man vegetable. flower. 4. Luffa aegyptcia (H. Tori): 7. Melothrieae: Cultivated for vegetable. Pollen usually reticulae, flower small, stamens usually 5. Momordica charantia (H. Karela): free and with simple thecae. , Cucumis, Gurania. Fruits are slightly bitter in taste. 8. Tichosantheae: 6. Ecballium elaterium: Pollen striate, smooth verrucose; flower large, stamens united, with triplicate thecae. Trichosanthes, It has a special method for the dispersal of seeds. Peponium. Division of the family and chief genera: B. Zanonioideae: Muller and Pax divided the family Cucurbitaceae into Tendrils distally bifid; seed mostly winged. 5 tribes viz., Fevilleae, Melothrieae, Cucurbiteae, Sicyocae and Cyclanthereae. 9. Zanonieae: Jeffrey (1962) divided the family into two sub-families One tribe. Zanonia, Fevillea. and 9 tribes. Floral formulae: A. : Tendrils proximally 2-7 fid or simple; seed winged. (a) Receptacle tube usually relatively short; if long in LITERATURE CITED male flowers than short in female flowers. Angiosperm Phylogeny Group 2009. ”An update of the Angiosperm 1. Jolifeieae: Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of Petals fringed or with ventral scales. Momordica, flowering plants: APG III” (PDF). Botanical Journal of the . Linnean Society. 161 (2): 105–121. Christenhusz, M. J. M. & Byng, J. W. 2016. ”The number of known (b) Petals without fringe or ventral scales. plants species in the world and its annual increase”. Phytotaxa. 2. : Magnolia Press. 261 (3): 201–217. Cucurbits”. Purdue University. Retrieved August 26,2013. Ovules many horizontal; pollen reticulate, tricolporate. Citrullus, Luffa, , Lagenaria, Ecballium. Angiosperm Phylogeny Website”. mobot.org. Revisions to Roland Brown’s North American Paleocene Flora by 3. Schizopeponeae: Steven R. Manchester at Florida Museum of Natural History, Ovules 1-2 pendulous, pollen reticuloid, tricolporate. University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Published in Schizopepon. Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae, Series B - Historia Naturalis, vol. 70, 2014, no. 3-4, pp. 153-210. 4. Cyclanthereae: Ovules 1 to many, ascending; pollen smooth, mostly Received on 27-03-2018 Accepted on 08-04-2018