Cucurbitaceae Lecture Exam

Question 1

From an anthropocentric (human) point of view, what makes the Cucurbitaceae family so important?

Answer 1

This family ranks among the highest in terms of the number of genera utilized by humans for food (over 20!)

Question 2

What regions do most of the members of the family originate from? What does this answer tell you about growing members of the Cucurbitaceae family?

Answer 2

Members can be found in all tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

Question 3

What is a gynoecious variety? Why do you suppose gynoecious varieties have been developed?

Answer 3

These are varieties that only produce female flowers and require pollinator plants. These are more productive per acre than the monecious varieties.
-a row of pollinator plants (mono or dioecious must be spaced occasionally throughout the field

Question 4

What were two factors postulated to have contributed to the large amount of diversity seen amongst the Cucurbita genus?

Answer 4

1) largely due to human selection
2) also do to its widespread geographic distribution

Question 5

What is the ‘short’ key for identifying members of the Cucurbitaceae family?

Answer 5

-vining plants that produce one tendril per node
-leaves alternate, simple, and palmately lobed and veined
-stems and leaves often bristly
-plants generally monoecious, flowers usually solitary(yellow or white), five semi-fused petals, five semi-fused sepals
-fruit generally a pepo (berry with a hard outer rind)

Question 6

How does the use of ‘saved seeds’ lead to the toxic squash syndrome problem?

Answer 6

Members of this family contain cucurbitacins (a triterpene that can occur as a glycoside), which has been bred out of the plants used for food. When saving seeds, plants can revert or mutate to contain high levels of these cucurbitacins again.