![]() It was probably introduced to Europe by the Greeks or Romans. Cultivation historyĬultivated for at least 3,000 years, the cucumber originated from India, where a great many varieties have been observed, along with its closest living relative, Cucumis hystrix. In 2020, world production of cucumbers and gherkins was 91 million tonnes, led by China with 80% of the total. Production Production of cucumbers and gherkins, 2020 They are marketed as either burpless or seedless, as the seeds and skin of other varieties of cucumbers are said to give some people gas. Most commonly grown in greenhouses, these parthenocarpic cucumbers are often found in grocery markets, shrink-wrapped in plastic. They can grow as long as 60 centimeters (2 ft), are nearly seedless, and have a delicate skin. They are reputed to be easy to digest and to have a pleasant taste. Burplessīurpless cucumbers are sweeter and have a thinner skin than other varieties of cucumber. The term is also used in the name for Cucumis anguria, the West Indian gherkin, a closely related species. The word gherkin comes from the early modern Dutch gurken or augurken ('small pickled cucumber'). Gherkins, also called cornichons, or baby pickles, are small cucumbers, typically those 2.5 to 12.5 centimetres (1 to 5 in) in length, often with bumpy skin, which are typically used for pickling. Color can vary from creamy yellow to pale or dark green. Compared to slicers, picklers tend to be shorter, thicker, less-regularly shaped, and have bumpy skin with tiny white or black-dotted spines. Those cucumbers intended for pickling, called picklers, grow to about 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 in) long and 2.5 cm (1 in) wide. Although any cucumber can be pickled, commercial pickles are made from cucumbers specially bred for uniformity of length-to-diameter ratio and lack of voids in the flesh. Pickling with brine, sugar, vinegar, and spices creates various flavored products from cucumbers and other foods. Nutrition, aroma, and taste Cucumber, with peel, raw Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) In 2009, an international team of researchers announced they had sequenced the cucumber genome. They may have a pollenizer cultivar interplanted, and the number of beehives per unit area is increased, but temperature changes induce male flowers even on these plants, which may be sufficient for pollination to occur. Newer gynoecious hybrid cultivars produce almost all female blossoms. Traditional cultivars produce male blossoms first, then female, in about equivalent numbers. In Europe, they are grown outdoors in some regions, where bees are likewise excluded. In the United States, these are usually grown in greenhouses, where bees are excluded. Ī few cultivars of cucumber are parthenocarpic, the blossoms of which create seedless fruit without pollination, which degrades the eating quality of these cultivar. Some self-compatible cultivars exist that are related to the ' Lemon' cultivar. Most cucumbers that require pollination are self-incompatible, thus requiring the pollen of another plant in order to form seeds and fruit. Cucumbers may also be pollinated via bumblebees and several other bee species. For this purpose, thousands of honey beehives are annually carried to cucumber fields just before bloom. Most cucumber cultivars are seeded and require pollination. Flowering and pollinationĬucumis sativus flower Genomic information NCBI genome ID However, much like tomatoes and squashes, it is often perceived, prepared, and eaten as a vegetable. In botanical terms, the cucumber is classified as a pepo, a type of botanical berry with a hard outer rind and no internal divisions. ![]() Ĭucumber fruits consist of 95% water (see nutrition table). The fruit of typical cultivars of cucumber is roughly cylindrical, but elongated with tapered ends, and may be as large as 62 centimeters (24 in) long and 10 centimeters (4 in) in diameter. The vine has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruits. The plant may also root in a soilless medium, whereby it will sprawl along the ground in lieu of a supporting structure. The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around supports with thin, spiraling tendrils.
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