Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Cucumis sativus - Cucumber
Edible Portion: Fruit, Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable, Seeds - Oil
A pumpkin family plant. It is a hairy annual climber with tendrils and yellow flowers. It grows to 0.5 m high and spreads to 2 m wide. The stem is trailing and has bristles. The leaves are heart shaped and the lobes taper. Leaf shape varies with different varieties. The tendrils are not branched. The flowers are yellow and funnel shaped. They occur in clusters in the axils of leaves. Male and female flowers are separate but on the same plant. Male flowers are normally in groups of 2-3 and develop first and female flowers are borne singly and open later. Fruit are long and often with a slightly lumpy skin. The flesh inside is greenish white. The fruit are edible. The fruit contain many seeds. Fruit 20-100 cm long are called cucumbers and fruit which are much smaller and darker green are called gherkins.