A plant of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), including cucumbers, melons, squashes, and pumpkins.
From Latin cucurbita (gourd, pumpkin). This became the standard botanical term for the entire family of climbing or trailing herbaceous plants.
Cucurbits are shape-shifters—the same genetic plant can grow as a small melon or a 1,500-pound pumpkin, demonstrating how dramatic different growing conditions and human selection can make genes express.
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