Cucurbitales

Acalbir Datisca cannabina, copyright H. Zell.

Belongs within: Fabidae.
Contains: Coriaria, Begoniaceae, Cucurbiteae.

The Cucurbitales is a clade of morphologically somewhat divergent taxa supported by molecular analyses. The clade is most diverse in tropical regions, though there are also numerous temperate species. The Cucurbitaceae, the squash and gourd family, is a group mostly comprised of annual vines, many species of which are cultivated for their fruit. Species of Datisca, a genus of herbaceous plants with pinnate leaves found in western and central Asia and western North America, host nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots. The Anisophylleaceae are a pantropical group of trees and shrubs with leathery, palmate-veined, entire-margined leaves.

Characters (from the Angiosperm Phylogeny Website): Storied fusiform cambial initials; perforation plates not or minimally bordered; rays wide, multiseriate; cuticle wax crystalloids absent; leaves spiral, secondary veins palmate; corolla or perianth valvate, stomata raised, the two whorls rather similar in texture; ovule with bistomal micropyle.

Cucurbitales [Begoniineae, Cucurbitineae]
    |  i. s.: Apodanthaceae [Apodanthoideae] APG16
    |           |--Apodanthes T00
    |           `--Pilostyles thurberi T00, H93
    |         Corynocarpus Forster & Forster 1776 A61 [Corynocarpaceae APG16]
    |           |--C. cribbianus (Bailey) Smith 1956 (see below for synonymy) F78
    |           `--C. laevigatus Forster & Forster 1776 A61
    |         Tetramelaceae [Tetrameleae, Tetrameloideae] APG16
    |           |--Octomeles sumatrana Miq. 1861 T00, C78 [incl. O. moluccana Teysm. & Binn. ex Hassk. 1866 C78]
    |           `--Tetrameles nudiflora Brown in Benn. 1838 (see below for synonymy) C78
    |--Anisophylleaceae WM09
    |    |--Anisophyllea fallax WM09
    |    |--Combretocarpus T00
    |    |--Poga T00
    |    `--Polygonanthus T00
    `--+--Coriaria WM09
       `--+--+--Begoniaceae WM09
          |  `--Datiscaceae [Datiscoideae] CBH93
          |       |--Tetrameleoxylon prenudiflora Lakhanpal & Verma 1966 CBH93
          |       `--Datisca WM09
          |            |--D. cannabina WM09
          |            `--D. glomerata H93
          `--Cucurbitaceae WM09
               |  i. s.: Sechium edule Z02
               |         Trichosanthes LK14
               |           |--T. bracteata P03
               |           |--T. cucumerina LK14
               |           |--T. dioica SDK05
               |           |--T. lepiniana D07
               |           |--T. ovigera LK14
               |           |--T. radix WN00
               |           `--T. subvelutina H90
               |         Marah H03
               |           |--M. fabaceus [incl. M. fabaceus var. agrestis] H93
               |           |--M. horridus H93
               |           |--M. macrocarpus H93
               |           |    |--M. m. var. macrocarpus H93
               |           |    `--M. m. var. major H93
               |           |--M. oreganus H93
               |           `--M. watsonii H93
               |         Actinostemma YY22
               |         Benincasa hispida YY22, W92
               |         Blastania YY22
               |         Brandegea bigelovii H93
               |         Bryonopsis YY22
               |         Calycophysum YY22
               |         Cerasiocarpum bennettii SR07
               |         Cionosicyos YY22
               |         Corallocarpus PP07
               |           |--C. conocarpus PP07
               |           `--C. epigaeus PP07
               |         Cucumeropsis YY22
               |         Cyclanthera YY22
               |         Cyclantheropsis YY22
               |         Dactyliandra welwitschii PP07
               |         Delognaea YY22
               |         Dendrosicyos YY22
               |         Dicaelosperma YY22
               |         Elateriopsis YY22
               |         Frantzia YY22
               |         Gomophogyne YY22
               |         Guraniopsis YY22
               |         Gymnopetalum YY22
               |         Hanburia YY22
               |         Lagenaria BR65
               |           |--L. siceraria BR65
               |           `--L. vulgaris A27 [incl. Cucurbita lagenaria C55]
               |         Luffa BR65
               |           |--L. acutangula KJ05
               |           |--L. aegyptiaca LK14
               |           |    |--L. a. var. aegyptiaca LK14
               |           |    `--L. a. var. leiocarpa LK14
               |           |--L. cylindrica BR65
               |           `--L. graveolens LK14
               |         Melancium YY22
               |         Melothria [Melothrieae] BR65
               |           |--M. domingensis J87
               |           `--M. maderaspatana (Linnaeus) Cogniaux 1881 (see below for synonymy) BR65
               |         Microsechium YY22
               |         Muellerargia timorensis LK14
               |         Oreosyce YY22
               |         Peponium YY22
               |         Pisosperma YY22
               |         Pittiera YY22
               |         Polakowskia YY22
               |         Posadea YY22
               |         Pteropepon YY22
               |         Raphanocarpus YY22
               |         Roseanthus YY22
               |         Sechiopsis YY22
               |         Selysia YY22
               |         Schizocarpum YY22
               |         Sicana YY22
               |         Sicyos Linnaeus 1753 A61
               |           |--S. angulata Linnaeus 1753 [incl. S. fretensis Hook. f. 1847] A61
               |           |--S. australis Endl. 1833 H90, A61
               |           `--S. laciniatus J87
               |         Sicyosperma YY22
               |         Toxanthera YY22
               |         Tumamoca YY22
               |         Vaseyanthus YY22
               |         Homenosicyos YY22
               |         Abobra YY22
               |         Acanthosicyos YY22
               |           |--A. horridus CV06
               |           `--A. nandianus BP87
               |         Adenopus YY22
               |         Alsomitra YY22
               |         Ampelosicyos YY22
               |         Anguriopsis YY22
               |         Anisosperma YY22
               |         Biswarea YY22
               |         Coccinia grandis PP07
               |         Cogniauxia YY22
               |         Dieudonnaea YY22
               |         Dimorphochlamys YY22
               |         Eulenburgia YY22
               |         Eureiandra YY22
               |         Fevillea YY22 [Fevilleae BR65]
               |         Gerrardanthus YY22
               |         Gurania spinulosa K06
               |         Gynostemma YY22
               |         Helmontia YY22
               |         Hemsleya YY22
               |         Herpetospermum YY22
               |         Hodgsonia YY22
               |         Macrozanonia YY22
               |         Maximowiczia YY22
               |         Peponopsis YY22
               |         Phialocarpus YY22
               |         Physedra YY22
               |         Siolmatra YY22
               |         Sphaerosicyos YY22
               |         Telfairia YY22
               |         Thladiantha YY22
               |         Trochomeria YY22
               |         Trochomeriopsis YY22
               |         Apodanthera YY22
               |         Cayaponia americana J87
               |         Cerathosanthes YY22
               |         Kedrostis YY22
               |         Raphanistrocarpus YY22
               |         Wilbrandia YY22
               |         Cucumella clavipetiolata CV06
               |         Cephalandra indica P03
               |         Sicyon nihoaensis O94
               |         Diplocyclos palmatus LK14
               |         Zehneria H90
               |           |--Z. cunninghamii [=Melothria cunninghamii] H90
               |           |--Z. micrantha H90 (see below for synonymy)
               |           `--Z. mucronata LK14
               |         Bryonia dioica H93
               |         Cucumites CBH93
               |         Cucurbitospermum CBH93
               |         Hexacolpites echinatus Salard-Cheboldaeff 1978 CBH93
               |         Mukia maderaspatana H90
               |         Solena Lour. 1790 KC01
               |--Nhandiroboideae T00
               `--Cucurbiteae T00

Corynocarpus cribbianus (Bailey) Smith 1956 [=Cyanocarpus cribbiana Bailey 1897, Helicia cribbiana (Bailey) Bailey 1901; incl. Corynocarpus australasica White 1933] F78

Melothria maderaspatana (Linnaeus) Cogniaux 1881 [=Cucumis maderaspatanus Linnaeus 1753; incl. Bryonia scabrella Linnaeus 1781, Mukia scabrella (Linnaeus) Arnott 1841] BR65

Tetrameles nudiflora Brown in Benn. 1838 [incl. T. grahamiana Wight 1853, T. horsfieldii Steud. 1841] C78

Zehneria micrantha H90 [=Cucurbita micrantha Mueller 1855 BR65, Melothria micrantha Mueller ex Cogniaux 1881 H90, BR65, Mukia micrantha H90; incl. Cucumis muelleri Naudin 1859 BR65, Melothria muelleri Bentham 1866 BR65]

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[A61] Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand vol. 1. Indigenous Tracheophyta: Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledones. R. E. Owen, Government Printer: Wellington (New Zealand).

[A27] Andersen, J. C. 1927. Popular names of New Zealand plants. Part 2. Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute 57: 905–977.

[APG16] Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2016. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG IV. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 181: 1–20.

[BR65] Black, J. M., & E. L. Robertson. 1965. Flora of South Australia. Part IV. Oleaceae–Compositae. W. L. Hawes, Government Printer: Adelaide.

[BP87] Burton, J. A., & B. Pearson. 1987. Collins Guide to the Rare Mammals of the World. Collins: London.

[C55] Candolle, A. de. 1855. Géographie Botanique Raisonée: Ou exposition des faits principaux et des lois concernant la distribution géographique des plantes de l’époque actuelle vol. 2. Librairie de Victor Masson: Paris.

[CBH93] Collinson, M. E., M. C. Boulter & P. L. Holmes. 1993. Magnoliophyta (‘Angiospermae’). In: Benton, M. J. (ed.) The Fossil Record 2 pp. 809–841. Chapman & Hall: London.

[CV06] Craven, P., & P. Vorster. 2006. Patterns of plant diversity and endemism in Namibia. Bothalia 36 (2): 175–189.

[C78] Croft, J. R. 1978. Datiscaceae. In: Womersley, J. S. (ed.) Handbooks of the Flora of Papua New Guinea vol. 1 pp. 114–122. Melbourne University Press: Carlton South (Australia).

[D07] Dash, S. S. 2007. Useful plants of Kabi Sacred Grove, Sikkim. Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 49 (1–4): 79–88.

[F78] Foreman, D. B. 1978. Corynocarpaceae. In: Womersley, J. S. (ed.) Handbooks of the Flora of Papua New Guinea vol. 1 pp. 111–113. Melbourne University Press: Carlton South (Australia).

[H90] Harden, G. J. (ed.) 1990. Flora of New South Wales vol. 1. New South Wales University Press.

[H03] Heads, M. 2003. Ericaceae in Malesia: vicariance biogeography, terrane tectonics and ecology. Telopea 10 (1): 311–449.

[H93] Hickman, J. C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press: Berkeley (California).

[J87] Judd, W. S. 1987. Floristic study of Morne La Visite and Pic Macaya National Parks, Haiti. Bulletin of the Florida State Museum—Biological Sciences 32 (1): 1–136.

[KJ05] Katewa, S. S., A. Jain, B. L. Chaudhary & P. Galav. 2005. Some unreported medicinal uses of plants from the tribal area of Southern Rajasthan. Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 47: 121–130.

[KC01] Kirk, P. M., P. F. Cannon, J. C. David & J. A. Stalpers. 2001. Ainsworth & Bisby's Dictionary of the Fungi 9^th ed. CAB International: Wallingford (UK).

[K06] Kwiecinski, G. G. 2006. Phyllostomus discolor. Mammalian Species 801: 1–11.

[LK14] Lyons, M. N., G. J. Keighery, L. A. Gibson & T. Handasyde. 2014. Flora and vegetation communities of selected islands off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 81: 205–244.

[O94] Otte, D. 1994. The Crickets of Hawaii: origin, systematics and evolution. The Orthopterists' Society: The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

[PP07] Pandey, R. P., & P. M. Padhye. 2007. Studies on phytodiversity of Arid Machia Safari Park-Kailana in Jodhpur (Rajasthan). Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 49: 15–78.

[P03] Paul, T. K. 2003. Botanical observations on the Purulia pumped storage hydropower project area, Bagmundi Hills, Purulia district, West Bengal. Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 45: 121–142.

[SR07] Sankar, R. V., K. Ravikumar, N. M. Ganesh Babu & D. K. Ved. 2007. Botany of Anapady MPCA, Palghat district, Kerala with special emphasis on species of conservation concern. Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 49: 165–172.

[SDK05] Sharma, L. K., N. K. Dadhich & A. Kumar. 2005. Plant based veterinary medicine from traditional knowledge of India. Bulletin of the Botanical Survey of India 47: 43–52.

[T00] Thorne, R. F. 2000. The classification and geography of the flowering plants: dicotyledons of the class Angiospermae (subclasses Magnoliidae, Ranunculidae, Caryophyllidae, Dilleniidae, Rosidae, Asteridae, and Lamiidae). The Botanical Review 66: 441–647.

[WM09] Wang, H., M. J. Moore, P. S. Soltis, C. D. Bell, S. F. Brockington, R. Alexandre, C. C. Davis, M. Latvis, S. R. Manchester & D. E. Soltis. 2009. Rosid radiation and the rapid rise of angiosperm-dominated forests. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 106 (10): 3853–3858.

[WN00] Wang H., T. B. Ng, V. E. C. Ooi & W. K. Liu. 2000. Effects of lectins with different carbohydrate-binding specificities on hepatoma, choriocarcinoma, melanoma and osteosarcoma cell lines. International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology 32: 365–372.

[W92] Wilson, E. O. 1992. The Diversity of Life. Harvard University Press: Belknap (USA).

[YY22] Yampolsky, C., & H. Yampolsky. 1922. Distribution of sex forms in the phanerogamic flora. Bibliotheca Genetica 3: 1–62.

[Z02] Zhang, Z.-Q. 2002. Taxonomy of Tetranychus ludeni (Acari: Tetranychidae) in New Zealand and its ecology on Sechium edule. New Zealand Entomologist 25: 27–34.

Last updated: 5 September 2020.