As a result of his botanical explorations in northern Australia, Ferdinand von Mueller named several Cucurbitaceae that molecular data now show to be distinct, requiring their resurrection from unjustified synonymy. We here describe and illustrate Luffa saccata F. Muell. ex I.Telford, validating a manuscript name listed under Luffa graveolens Roxb. since 1859, and we lectotypify Cucumis picroca...

2007 saw the publication of two molecular phylogenies of Cucumis that relied on combined chloroplast and nuclear gene regions, and broad species sampling. One of these studies also addressed the position of Cucumis in the Cucurbitaceae family tree. It was found that the genera Cucumella, Dicaelospermum, Mukia, Myrmecosicyos, and Oreosyce are embedded within Cucumis and that the closest relative...

Among the fundamental questions regarding cultivated plants is their geographic origin and region of domestication. The genus Cucumis, which includes cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and melon (Cucumis melo), has numerous wild African species, and it has therefore been assumed that melon originated in Africa. For cucumber, this seemed less likely because wild cucumbers exist in India and a closely re...

To investigate phylogenetic relationships in the genus Cucumis, 9 consensus chloroplast simple sequence repeat (ccSSR) primer pairs (ccSSR3, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20, 21, and 23) were employed for DNA fragment length variation and 5 amplified fragments, ccSSR4, 12, 13, 19, and 20, were sequenced using total DNA from 13 accessions representing 7 African Cucumis species (x = 12), 3 Cucumis melo L. (...

The study was aimed to evaluate the carminative and antacid properties of Cucumis sativus fruit pulp aqueous extract under simulated conditions. Fresh fruit pulp of Cucumis sativus was homogenized and dried under shade and thus mass obtained was powdered, weighed and subjected for the evaluation of carminative and antacid profile of the drug. Carminative & antacid properties of Cucumis sativa w...

The use of intergenic spacer (IGS) fragments of plant ribosomal DNA (rDNA) for the differentiation between genera and species is tested by cross-hybridization experiments with different IGS probes of two Cucurbitaceae, Cucurbita pepo (zucchini) and Cucumis sativus (cucumber). Hybridization with cloned fragments of different parts of the IGS of ribosomal DNA exhibit a different degree of conserv...

The present study was undertaken to investigate the diuretic effect of ethanolic seed extracts of Macrotyloma uniflorum and Cucumis melo in Albino rats. Ethanolic extracts of the seeds were administered to experimental rats orally at doses of 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg each p.o. Furosemide (5mg/kg) was used as a standard. The diuretic effects of the extracts were evaluated by measuring the Urine vol...

Cucumis melo L. that belongs to Cucurbitaceae family ranks among one of the highest valued horticulture crops being cultivated across the globe. Besides its economical and medicinal importance, Cucumis melo L. is a valuable resource and model system for the evolutionary studies of cucurbit family. However, very limited numbers of molecular markers were reported for Cucumis melo L. so far that l...

BACKGROUND A critical analysis was made of cucurbit descriptions in Dioscorides' De Materia Medica, Columella's De Re Rustica and Pliny's Historia Naturalis, works on medicine, agriculture and natural science of the 1st century ce, as well as the Mishna and Tosefta, compilations of rabbinic law derived from the same time period together with cucurbit images dating from antiquity including paint...

The antioxidant potential of three commonly used edible fruits and vegetables Emblica officinalis (Amla), Citrus limon (lemon) and Cucumis sativus (cucumber) available in local market of Jaipur (India), was estimated. The parts of food material taken for this study is edible part of Emblica officinalis, peel of Citrus limon and Cucumis sativus. The total phenolic content, antoxidant activity an...