620 BOTANY OF CROP PLANTS 



6. C IK umber Melon {CuciiDiis nuio var. acidnlns). — Of no 

 economic importance. 



7. Orange Melon. Maiiii^o Melon, }[cloii Apple, Vine Peach, 

 Garden Lemon, Vegetable Orange (Cuciuius mclo var. chito). — 

 Used in making preserves. 



8. Dudaim Melon, Pomegranate Melon, Queen Anne's 

 Pocket Melon {Cucumis mclo var. dudaim). — Inedible. 



CUCUMIS SATIVUS (Cucumber) 



Description. — This is an annual plant with rough, hispid 

 stems which reach a length of 6 to 15 feet, and are somewhat 

 branching. The leaves are subcordate, almost as wide as 

 long, and somewhat five-lobed. The corolla is yellow. 

 There is a general impression that the cucumber can })e 

 crossed with the melon. Experiments have shown that this 

 crossing is impossible. The fruit is oblong, obscurely threc- 

 anglcd, tuberculate when young, but often becoming smooth 

 (in cultivated forms) at maturity. 



Geographical.— Cucumljcrs have been in cultivation for 3,000 or 4,000 

 years. Thcj' were first cultivated in Asia. The species has not been found 

 growing wild. 



Closely Related Forms. — There are a number of "cucum- 

 bers" which may be confused (at least in name) with the 

 common cucumber {Cucumis sativus). Chief of these are 

 the snake cucumber (Cucumis mclo var. flexuosus). West 

 Indian gherkin {Cucumis anguria), musk cucumber {Cucumis 

 moschata), and star cucumber {Sicyos ungulalus). The snake- 

 cucumber is in reality a melon. It is characterized b>- the 

 long, narrow, twisted fruit. In the West Indian gherkin the 

 stems are shorter and the fruit much smaller than those of 

 the cucumber. It is a common practice to use young cucum- 

 bers as gherkins. The musk cucumber is also a melon. The 



