1. Cucumis sativus Linn., Sp. Pl. 1012. 1753. Cogn., l.c. 498; Clarke, l.c. 620; Chakravarty, l.c. 105; R.R. stewart in Nasir & Ali, Ann. Cat. Vasc. Pl. Pak. & Kashm. 704. 1972; C. Jeffrey in Kew Bull. 34:794. 1980.
English: Cucumber.
Vern.: Khira.
S. NAZIMUDDIN AND S. SHAHARYAR H. NAQVI
Annual, trailing or climbing herb. Stem angular, with scabridulous hairs. Leaves ovate, 12-18 cm long., 3-8-lobed,-lobes acute, hispidulous or scabridulous on both surfaces; petiole elongated, 8-20 mm long. Sepals spreading. Corolla c. 2.5 cm long, lobes oblong-lanceolate. Anthers 3-4 mm long. Female flowers solitary or rarely fascicled. Ovary fusiform, muricate. Fruit oblong and obscurely trigonous or cylindric, when young sparsely tuberculated, otherwise smooth and glabrous.
Fl.Per.: Almost throughout the year.
Lectotype: Cucumis foliorum angulis rectis, pomis oblongis scabris L., Hort. Cliff. 451 (1738). (C. Jeffrey, l.c.).
Distribution: Cultivated throughout the tropical and subtropical countries of the world.
There are many cultivars, some of them are also treated as taxonomic varieties but they are mostly seasonal varieties as they mainly differ in fruit size, shape and surface. Mainly two fruit forms are common, one with elongated or cylindric fruit and the other with ovoid fruit. One variety with muricate fruit surface is also common in European countries.
