the plant family Cucurbitaceae, characterized by tendril-bearing vines, either trailing or climbing and having alternate, palmately lobed leaves, often large yellow or greenish flowers, and many-seeded, fleshy fruit with a hard rind, and including the cucumber, gourd, melon, pumpkin, and squash.
Encyclopedia Article for gourd family
cucurbits
the gourd family of flowering plants, belonging to the order Cucurbitales and containing 118 genera and 845 species of food and ornamental plants. It includes the gourds, melons, squashes, and pumpkins.
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