Cucurbitaceae: A Family of Gourd & their botany, origin and distribution

Sanjeet Kumar

sanjeet.biotech@gamil.com

Cucurbits belong to the family Cucurbitaceae, consist of about 118 genera and 825 species worldwide (Jeffrey 1990). Cucurbits are believed to be most primitive plant family and species are mostly utilized as vegetables by human beings. Research indicated that the fruits have been used since ancient civilization to modern era in same rate. The evolutionary changes have happened in only palatability. The earlier human beings / races of different parts of the world were observed the nutritional importance and started to use the techniques to remove bitter components. Traditional methods were adopted generation to generation to make wild plants more edible. The earliest records of human use of edible cucurbits have come from Mexico. The earlier evidenced traced out that the people of China started the domestication of some cucurbits, which reflect its origin of species too.

Such cucurbits was belongs to genus Citrullus, Cucurbita and Luffa.  Genus Momordica is Asian origin and evidences are revealed from the ancient mythology / literature of India, Tibet, China, Indonesia, Sumatra, Java and Maldives. S. amplexicaulis is reported that it is originated from tropical Asian countries and Saldana & Nicolson (1976) did addition to the Flora of India. C. grandis is of Indian and African origin. Jeffrey reported first time Diplocyclos palmatus from Asia. Hook (1879) and Gamble (1919) reported T. cucumerina from India. Some edible species of genus Lagenaria is found frequently in India in wild and cultivated form but they are probably African origin (Dalziel 1937; Heiser 1973). C. sativus is of Asiatic origin (Okoli, 1984). C. sativus was brought to the America by Christopher Columbus and, Native Americans were growing this species from Florida to Canada. C. melo is found in Africa, Asia, Australia, Pacific Islands, Americas but it is believed to be African origin (Kirkbride 1993). For more confirmation regarding origin of Cucurbits, need molecular studies such as RAPD and ISSR finger printing. Such studies will justify the authentic scientific evidences for Origin which will be helpful in the study of plant evolution and how some specific metabolites are settled in the plant parts under plant defense mechanisms.

The family is predominantly distributed around the Tropics and Sub-Tropical regions. All species are sensitive to frost. Most of the species of this family are annual or perennial vines but are also woody lianas, shrubs with watery sap, thorny shrubs, scandent or prostrate. Roots are fibrous and tuberous. Most of species have yellow and white flowers. The stems are hairy and penta-angular. Tendrils are present at 90 ° to the leaf petioles at nodes. Tendrils are solitary, lateral, simple or branched, spirally twisted and rarely absent. Leaves are ex-stipulate, alternate simple, palmi-nerved, palmately lobed or palmately compound. Lamina is variable among the members in the same species or even in the individual plant. The flowers are unisexual. Flowers are small or large. Male and female flowers are found in different plants or in the same plant. Flowers are paniculate, racemose, or subumbellate and rarely solitary. The fruit is often of modified berry called a pepo. It is indehiscent, pendulous, or ascending, often compressed, rarely winged. Seeds usually many, in pulp or fibre, often compressed.

In present study, the four selected wild cucurbits are illustrated regarding the distribution. We selected two types of Tricosanthes (T. cucumerina and T. tricuspidata), one species of Cucumis (C. melo) and one species of Diplocyclos (D. palmatus).Trichosanthes is native to Southern and Eastern Asia, Australia and Islands of Western Pacific. Both selected species are distributed commonly in Myanmar, Malaysia, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Australia. T. cucumerina is domesticated in Tropical Asia, Africa, Malaya, Tropical Australia, Sri Lanka, China, Northern Australia and West & Central Africa. In India, it is distributed throughout the country. T. tricuspidata found only in wild conditions in the said areas and throughout the India. C. melo is distributed in China, France, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Southern and central Africa. In, India it is distributed in Odisha, Punjab, Karnataka and Eastern Ghats. D. palmatus is found in wild conditions and harvested for medicinal purposes only. It is distributed in Africa, Malaysia, China, Philippines and some Tropical countries. In India, it is distributed in Maharashtra, Utter Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Eastern Ghats.