Cucumis

De Wilde, Willem J. J. O. & Duyfjes, Brigitta E. E., 2007, The wild species of Cucumis L. (Cucurbitaceae) in South-East Asia, Adansonia (3) 29 (2), pp. 239-248 : 240-241

Genus Cucumis L.

Species Plantarum ed. 1: 1011 (1753); Genera Plantarum ed. 5: 442 (1754). — J. H. Kirkbride, Biosystematic Monograph of the Genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) : 19 (1993). — Type: Cucumis sativus L. (lecto-, designated by Britton & Wilson 1925: 264). Melo Mill., The Gardeners Dictionary, abridged ed. 4,

vol. 2: without pagination (1754). — Type: Cucumis

melo L. (lecto-, designated by Swart 1960, see also

Swart 1979).

DESCRIPTION

Small or medium annual or perennial climbers (rarely suberect); monoecious (rarely dioecious); plant scabrous or setose, stem 1-4 mm diameter.Probract:absent. Tendrils: simple. Leaves: simple. Flowers: solitary or few-fascicled; pedicel short; corolla small- or mediumsized, yellow.Male flowers:receptacle-tube campanulate or turbinate, small; sepals small, mostly linear; petals united at their base, margin entire; stamens 3, free, inserted about halfway the receptacle-tube, filaments short, anthers two 2-thecous, one 1-thecous, thecae sinuate, 3-plicate or S-shaped, connective considerably produced apically; disc (pistillode) large, gland-like, free from the tube. Female flowers: usually solitary; ovary hairy, hairs sometimes apical on small protuberances, ovules numerous, horizontal; perianth as in male flowers but somewhat larger, stigma cupular with finger-like projections; staminodes often present, small; disc surrounding the base of style, free from the tube. Fruit: a (large) fleshy berry, indehiscent, pubescent or glabrous, or with fleshy spines or tubercles, green, yellow or orange, rarely maturing underground ( C. humifructus Stent , southern Africa). Seeds: numerous, flat, elliptic or oblong, pale, not sculptured, unmargined with acute edge, unwinged (or rarely winged).

DISTRIBUTION

About 35 species in the Old World, mostly Africa, of which two species widely cultivated.

KEY TO THE SPECIES OF CUCUMIS L. IN SOUTH- EAST ASIA

1. Apex of leaf blade subacute or rounded. Ovary densely fine-hairy. Fruit soft hairy, glabrescent [x = 12, subgenus Melo, comprising the majority of the species; Africa] ..... C. melo

— Apex of leaf blade acute. Ovary glabrous or with coarse setose hairs. Fruit glabrous, aculeate or tubercled [x = 7, subgenus Cucumis , Asian species] ...................................... 2

2. Plant delicate, stem c. 1 mm diameter. Pedicel of male flower (15-) 20 mm long. Pedicel of female flower c. 35 mm long (in immature fruit). Ovary glabrous, smooth or sparsely aculeate .......................................................................................................... C. debilis

— Plant stouter, stem (1-) 2-4 mm diameter. Pedicel of male flower 2-10 mm long. Pedicel of female flower 1-20(-30) mm long. Ovary (glabrous or) hairy or setose ................... 3

3. Ovary strigose. Fruit aculeate-tubercled. Fruit apex acute. Plant growing wild ... C. hystrix

— Ovary (glabrous or) fine-hairy. Fruit glabrous or short-aculeate. Fruit apex blunt. Culti- vated or escaped ............................................................................................ C. sativus