Cucurbitaceae
Cucumber/Gourd family
The gourd or cucumber family, one of the most important vegetable-producing families: cucumber, pumpkin, watermelon, melon, and bitter gourd. Mostly climbing herbs with tendrils, unisexual flowers, and large fleshy pepo fruits. Almost exclusively found in warm climates.
Browse all 33 species ↓
Vining plants with tendrils and often palmate leaves; 5 united petals in a funnel shape above an inferior, many-seeded ovary.
Includes the gourds, melons and cucumbers — cutting one crosswise reveals the family's characteristic multi-chambered ovary pattern.
Which Cucurbitaceae species is this?
Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Cucurbitaceae species.
How to recognise the Cucurbitaceae family
- 01
Tendrilled climbing or prostrate herbs
- 02
Unisexual flowers (monoecious)
- 03
Pepo fruit (modified berry with hard rind)
To check whether a plant belongs to Cucurbitaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.
Learn the full family-identification methodTypical leaf characters
Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.
Typical flower & fruit
- Flower symmetryActinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- InflorescenceSolitary
- FruitBerry
Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.
Notable members
Families that can look similar
Vitaceae
Compare against Vitaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare VitaceaeSolanaceae
Compare against Solanaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare SolanaceaeAnnonaceae
Compare against Annonaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare AnnonaceaeFlacourtiaceae
Compare against Flacourtiaceae when the plant shares similar leaves, flowers, or fruit. Confirm by checking the full family pattern.
Compare FlacourtiaceaeAll 33 species in CUCURBITACEAE
- Winter MelonBenincasa hispida
- Colocynth, Indian Wild Gourd, Citron, Bitter Apple, Vine Of SodomCitrullus colocynthis
- WatermelonCitrullus lanatus
- Ivy Gourd, Scarlet Gourd, TindoraCoccinia grandis
- Redfruit CreeperCorallocarpus epigaeus
- Muskmelon, SweetmelonCucumis callosus
- MuskmelonCucumis melo var. agrestis
- Melon, Cucumber, Common CucumberCucumis melo var. melo
- Wild CucumberCucumis prophetarum
- CucumberCucumis sativus f. hardwickii
- Winter SquashCucurbita maxima
- Crooknecked Squash, Musk MelonCucurbita moschata
- PumpkinCucurbita pepo
- Lollipop ClimberDiplocyclos palmatus
- Stinky HaapKedrostis foetidissima
- Bottle Gourd, Calbash GourdLagenaria siceraria
- Angled LuffaLuffa acutangula
- Sponge Gourd, Smooth Loofah, Vegetable SpongeLuffa aegyptiaca
- Bitter MelonMomordica charantia
- Teasle GourdMomordica dioica
- Teasle GourdMomordica subangulata
- Madras Pea PumpkinMukia maderaspatana
- ChayoteSicyos edulis
- Creeping CucumberSolena amplexicaulis
- Wild Snake Gourd, Malabar PatolaTrichosanthes cucumerina
- Red-Ball Snake GourdTrichosanthes tricuspidata
- Mysore CucamelonZehneria maysorensis
- Wild CucumberZehneria scabra
- Bryonopsis laciniosa
- Ctenolepis garcini
- Gymnopetalum wightii
- Mukia leiosperma
- Zehneria maysorensis var. umbellata
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