Pumpkin is represented by annual or perennial, creeping or climbing herbs, less commonly shrubs. The pumpkin family includes about 900 species. The most common include: cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini, melon and watermelon.
Each plant in the pumpkin family loves light very much, therefore it can grow only in an open, sunny place. In addition, they are very thermophilic, therefore, a temperate climate can negate all attempts to grow some crops, for example, watermelon and melon.
Structure
The shoot of a pumpkin plant is usually creeping or climbing with antennae, which is a modified lateral stalk. The leaf is simple, regular, dissected to varying degrees. Flowers can be actinomorphic, unisexual, single or collected in a axillary inflorescence. The perianth and the base of the stamens usually look like a tube fused with an ovary. Corolla can be volnolepestnoy, five-lobed, often yellow. The number of stamens is 5, sometimes 2. The pistil contains 3, and sometimes 5 carpels. The ovary is lower, and the fruit is represented by pumpkin.
The oldest members of the family
An ancient man probably collected wild edible plants, such as beans and peas, or root crops - for example, carrots. It is believed that these vegetables, as well as lettuce and cabbage were grown in their gardens by primitive people. For the latter, developed and tasty leaves are characteristic.
The ancient Egyptians preferred various types of salad, cabbage, beans, watermelons, radishes, onions and artichokes. That is, even thousands of years ago, a person’s dining table boasted a good set of vegetables.
The ancient Romans and Greeks cultivated the same vegetables as the Egyptians, but at the same time replenished the list with cucumbers, asparagus and celery.
In general, the most ancient representatives of the pumpkin family are cucumbers and watermelons.
The most popular members of the family
The pumpkin family includes:
Cucumbers are the most common vegetable crops on the globe. The main positive point is the fact that cucumbers can be grown all year round - in winter and spring in heated greenhouses, in spring and summer in ordinary greenhouses, greenhouses and small-sized film shelters, and in summer and autumn - in open ground. Cucumbers - ancient representatives of the pumpkin family - are annual herbaceous plants and the most heat-demanding vegetable crops. Normal growth can provide a temperature of at least 25-27 degrees, otherwise the plant stops developing.
Pumpkin is an annual plant with male and female single flowers. The fruit grows large and multi-seeded. On the pentahedral stem are 5-7-lobed leaves. Some varieties can produce fruits weighing up to 90 kg. The bush type of pumpkin is called zucchini. Country of origin - Mexico, pumpkin came to Europe in the 16th century.
Melons and Watermelons
Melons and watermelons are melons, especially demanding on air temperature and soil.
Melon is an annual plant that is part of the pumpkin family. Flowers are often same-sex, less often bisexual. The male flower is usually gathered in a bunch, and the female is single and very large. The fruit turns fragrant, juicy.
Watermelon is a plant that is characterized by lying wattle, deeply pinnate-dissected leaves and many tripartite tendrils. The pulp of the fetus is blood red and sweet. Juice contains up to 5% sugar. Africa is considered the birthplace of watermelon, where representatives of the wild colocvint watermelon grow, which are characterized by a small fruit (no more than a walnut) and hard flesh.
Pumpkin
Pumpkin, of course, is part of the pumpkin family. Which plants are fodder, and which can be put on the table? The first is characterized by huge size and weight, and the second meets completely different requirements - small size, good taste and high content of nutrients and healing nature.
Pumpkin is a very ancient culture that grew in America 3 thousand years ago. After the New World was discovered, the plant was introduced into Europe. Currently, many southern regions believe that this is a native Russian culture.
The nutritional value
The pumpkin family is rich in sugar, carotene, various vitamins, namely B1, B2, B6, C, E, PP, T. The latter significantly speeds up the digestion process, and also facilitates the assimilation of meat and other heavy foods.
Pumpkin contains salts of substances such as phosphoric acid, potassium, magnesium, and if you take into account the amount of iron, then it can be called a champion among vegetables. In addition, it contains a lot of potassium and pectin, which block the occurrence of inflammation in the large intestine.
Knowledgeable people claim that pumpkin porridge, often eaten, has a wonderful healing effect against hypertension, obesity and metabolic disorders. And insomnia can be treated with pumpkin juice or a decoction of pumpkin with honey.
The seeds of this miraculous vegetable are an absolutely safe anthelmintic.
About types of pumpkins
Large-fruited pumpkin is the most cold-resistant, but ripens much later than the hard-boiled one. The plant stem has a cylindrical shape. The fruit is characterized by indicators such as large size, long shelf life, high palatability and a large number of seeds.
Hard-boiled pumpkin is not afraid of sharp temperature fluctuations. The stem is faceted, furrowed. The fetus is characterized by: small size, ligneous crust and prickly awl-like drooping.
Muscat squash is considered the most thermophilic and late ripening, often long-stringed, without bush form. The stalk is represented by a rounded shape. The fruit is small or medium, has an elongated shape and is narrowed in the middle. The pulp has an orange color and a nutmeg aroma.
In addition, among amateur vegetable growers are very popular: dining room, fodder, gymnosperms, decorative and tableware pumpkin. Their biological features are not very different from the above.
