The Family Cucurbitaceae or Cucumber family, (Cucurbitaceae 1) shows a large diversity in representatives, sometimes with a large variety within the species. They are annual climbers with large, usually yellow and sometimes white unisexual flowers. Of many species the unripe fruits are consumed as fruit vegetables (Cucumbers, melons, marrow 2) or the ripe fruits are eaten as dessert fruits (Cucumbers, melons, marrow 4).
This family comprises well know table fruits like melon, Cucumis melo, and watermelon, Citrullus vulgaris.

Well-known fruit vegetables are the cucumber, Cucumis sativus, and the gherkin, Cucumis anguria (see Cucumis sativus).

Many tropical species (Cucumbers, melons, marrow 3) are eaten as vegetables:
- wax gourd, Benincasa hispida, see Cucurbita sp. ;
- angled loofah, Luffa acutangula, see Luffa cylindrica;
- bitter gourd or balsam pear, Momordica charantia;
- chayote, Sechium edule;
- snake gourd, Trichosanthes cucumerina (Cucumbers, melons, marrow 2); and Trichosanthes dioica, see Trichosanthes cucumerina. See also Tropical vegetables.

The smooth loofah, Luffa cylindrica, and the bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, are used in various applications as household utensils.

Pumpkins, marrows, and squashes all belong to the species Cucurbita pepo (see Cucurbita sp.) (Cucumbers, melons, marrow 1), which is variable. Within this species, both ornamental pumpkins, known as apple -, egg-shaped and club-shaped calabashes, as well as edible forms like courgette, patisson and zucchini occur.

The closely related Cucurbita maxima (see Cucurbita sp.) includes edible forms which are mainly popular in America and are known as winter squashes. Also ornamental forms like the Turkish head, with a large outgrow at the top, belong to this species.