Cucumis sativus

Taxonomy and growth

Family

Cucurbitaceae

Genus

Cucumis

Life cycle

annual

Height

2 m

Fertility

self fertile

Flower type

monoecious

Pollinators

Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw or cooked. The cucumber is a common ingredient of salads, being valued mainly for its crisp texture and juiciness^{[1][5][17][13]}. However, it is very watery, with little flavour and is not very nutritious[K]. Many people find the fruit to be indigestible, this is due to the high cellulose content^[17]. The fruit varies widely in size between cultivars but can be up to 1 metre long. It can be available from mid summer until early autumn from outdoor grown plants. Seed - raw^[14][18]. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[K]. Young leaves and stems - cooked as a potherb. Oil from seed^[15]. Said to resemble olive oil, it is used in salad dressings and French cooking^[4]. The oil contains 22.3% linoleic acid, 58.5% oleic acid, 6.8% palmitic acid and 3.7% stearic acid^[10].

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaf juice is emetic, it is used to treat dyspepsia in children^[10]. The fruit is depurative, diuretic, emollient, purgative and resolvent^{[17][9][8][10]}. The fresh fruit is used internally in the treatment of blemished skin, heat rash etc, whilst it is used externally as a poultice for burns, sores etc and also as a cosmetic for softening the skin^[10][11]. The seed is cooling, diuretic, tonic and vermifuge^[12][10]. 25 - 50 grams of the thoroughly ground seeds (including the seed coat) is a standard dose as a vermifuge and usually needs to be followed by a purgative to expel the worms from the body^[12]. A decoction of the root is diuretic^[10].

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Cucumber skins have been shown to repel cockroaches in laboratory experiments^[10]. The fruit is applied to the skin as a cleansing cosmetic to soften and whiten it^[12][17][11]. The juice is used in many beauty products^[12][17].

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche

Climber

Environment

Range

Possibly native of the E. Indies, but the original habitat is obscure.

Habitat

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Light

full sun

Shade tolerance

no shade

Water

moderate

Hardiness

Zone 10+

Soil textures

sandy, loamy, clay

Soil pH

acid, neutral, alkaline

Drainage

well drained

Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil

No

Drought

intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a warm very sunny position^[7]. A frost-tender plant, the cucumber is commonly cultivated for its edible fruit, there are many named varieties^[13][4]. Many of these varieties are only suitable for protected cropping in Britain though there are a number that have been specifically bred for cool temperate areas and these succeed outdoors in most summers^[7]. Many of the cultivars, especially the greenhouse forms, should have their male flowers removed in order to prevent fertilization, since the fertilized fruits have a bitter taste. A number of cultivars have been developed that only produce female flowers^[2]. Cucumbers make good companion plants for sweet corn, beans and sunflowers^[3], but they dislike growing with potatoes and aromatic herbs^[6]. The roots of cucumber plants secrete a substance that inhibits the growth of most weeds^[8].

Related plants

• Cucumis anguriaGherkin
• Cucumis meloMelon
• Cucumis melo agrestisWild Melon
• Cucumis melo cantalupensisCantaloupe Melon

References

1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

   ↩

2. Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-12-136450-x

   ↩

3. Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00

   ↩

4. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

   ↩1↩2

5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

   ↩

6. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

   ↩

7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

   ↩1↩2

8. Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-304-34324-2

   ↩1↩2

9. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

   ↩

10. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

11. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2

12. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

13. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

14. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

    ↩

15. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

16. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

    ↩

17. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

18. Organ. J. Gourds. Faber 1963-00-00

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