Cucumber
Family Cucurbitaceae
Cucumis sativus, the cucumber (C. sativus 1), is a monoecious, hairy, trailing or climbing plant with an angled stem, and 3-5 lobed leaves with long petioles. The yellow flowers are 3-4 cm in diameter, with a bell-shaped corolla; the male ones in clusters with 3 stamens; the female ones (C. sativus 2) usually solitary, with a large inferior ovary that will develop into the cucumber.
In temperate regions the many varieties can be horticulturaly divided into two groups: indoor or long cucumbers (C. sativus 3), which require heat and therefor are grown in greenhouses; and outdoor cucumbers, which are usually shorter. Indoor cucumbers produce fruits without fertilisation. As a matter of fact, fertilisation must be prevented as fertilised cucumbers taste bitter and become swollen. Other varieties include forms with white spines (C. sativus 4); Indian cucumbers with reddish-brown fruits (C. sativus 5); and small forms used for pickling.
Distribution
The cucumber is believed to have originated in southern Asia. It was known in ancient Egypt and to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Nowadays it has spread throughout the world and numerous varieties have been developed.
Use
The fruits are eaten raw as a salad vegetable, but in Asia they are often eaten as a cooked vegetable. Young fruits are pickled like gherkins. In Indonesia and Malaysia young leaves are eaten as salad or cooked. The seed kernels yield edible oil. The biggest producers are China, Japan and the US. In Europe most of the cucumbers are cultivated in the South and East.