Gourd family (Cucurbitaceae)
The gourd family has about 800 species (current counts exceed 900), mostly annual and perennial herbs whose stems (vines) trail or climb by tendrils. Leaves are simple, often palmately lobed. Flowers are regular, unisexual and insect-pollinated: 5 sepals and a corolla of 5 fused petals. A male flower has 5 stamens, 4 of them fused in pairs and 1 free; a female flower has one pistil of 3 carpels, so male and female flowers get separate formulas. The fruit is a fleshy, juicy “pepo” with a hard rind. The pumpkin (Cucurbita) is an annual melon-field plant: a softly hairy stem, large leaves, yellow flowers; male and female flowers grow on the same plant, the males opening first; the seeds are rich in oil. Melon (Cucumis melo; handalak is a cultivar group of it), watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), bottle gourd and loofah belong here. The squirting cucumber (itqovun) is a bitter, poisonous weed of fields; do not eat it.
Observation: find the male and female flowers on a cucumber or pumpkin plant (the female flower has a tiny fruit under it) and draw them. Cut a fruit and count the seeds. Safety: only adults use the knife; wash fruits before eating; do not eat squirting cucumber (itqovun); be careful if allergic to pollen; do not rush at flowers with bees.