The Cucurbitoideae are a subfamily of the flowering plant family Cucurbitaceae (gourds). The Cucurbitaceae are divided into two subfamilies, the Zanonioideae, probably a paraphyletic group of remainders, and the well-supported monophyletic Cucurbitoideae.[1]

Cucurbitoideae
Acanthosicyos horridus, a member of the Cucurbitoideae native to Namibia
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily: Cucurbitoideae
Eaton
Tribes

The subfamily Cucurbitoideae consists of eight tribes. Members of the tribe Cucurbiteae produce economically valuable fruits, called gourds, which include crops like squashes (including pumpkins), luffas, and melons (including watermelons).[2] The tribe Benincaseae contains a genus called Lagenaria whose members produce gourds that can be eaten when young or whose ripe shells can be dried and used as containers.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Donoghue, Michael J.; Judd, Walter S.; Campbell, Christopher; Elizabeth A. Kellogg; Stevens, Peter F. (2008). Plant Systematics: A Phylogenetic Approach. Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates. ISBN 0-87893-407-3.
  2. ^ Mabberley, David (2008). Mabberley's Plant-Book: a Portable Dictionary of Plants, their Classification and Uses. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-82071-5.
  3. ^ "Lagenaria Ser". Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). United States Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved September 2, 2013.