What are the parts of a cucumber?
What are the parts of a cucumber?
The outer part of a cucumber is called the peel; this is the green skin surrounding a cucumber. The inner part of a cucumber is called the flesh; this is the soft, light green mass inside the peel. The centre part of a cucumber contains seeds. Some cucumber varieties do not have any seeds.
Is cucumber a fruit or stem?
According to science, fruit is defined as a part of the plant that develops from the flower and also contains the seeds of the plant. It has been proven that cucumber also develops from the flower of the plant and contains the seeds, making it a fruit.
Is cucumber a root or stem?
Description. 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.
How do cucumbers produce fruit?
In most cases, before cucumbers can produce fruit, the plants grow both male and female flowers on the same plant. When successfully pollinated, the female flowers develop fruit at the flower base and the male flower drop off the plant.
How are cucumbers harvested?
Use garden shears or pruners when harvesting ripe cucumbers. Removing the fruit with a sharp implement will prevent injury to the vine by twisting or pulling. Cut the stem ¼ inch (6 mm.) above the fruit.
Is cucumber climber or creeper?
Creepers are plants that creep on the ground. They have very fragile, long and thin stems that can neither stand erect nor support their entire weight. Cucumber plant also creeps along the ground. Hence, it is a creeper.
Is cucumber a simple fruit?
The cucumber, pumpkin and watermelon are good examples of the pepo type of fruit. Below the rind, the the rest of the ovary wall is soft and fleshy. In the photographs above seeds fill the locule of each carpel. If a fruit is fleshy and it has a hard stony pit containing a seed it is classified as a drupe.
Is cucumber a melon?
While cucumbers aren’t melons, they are both members of the Cucurbitaceae family. These two fruits are very closely related and grow in similar ways. While cucumbers and melons come from the same family, they are two different varieties; cucumbers are called Cucumis sativus while Melons are Cucumis melo.
Is cucumber a vegetable or a fruit?
The botanical classification: Cucumbers are fruit. A botanical fruit would have at least one seed and grow from the flower of the plant. With this definition in mind, cucumbers are classified as fruit because they contain tiny seeds in the middle and grow from the flower of the cucumber plant.
Where do cucumbers grow?
Cucumbers like warm, humid weather; loose, organic soil; and plenty of sunlight. They grow well in most areas of the United States and do especially well in southern regions. When planting cucumbers, choose a site that has adequate drainage and fertile soil.
How long do cucumbers produce fruit?
Bush cucumber plants grow more compactly, don’t send out long vines and produce their fruit all at once, usually within 40 to 50 days. Smaller cucumbers, such as pickling, ripen more quickly, in some cases as early as 40 days, and the plants reach peak production sooner than plants that produce longer cucumbers.
How do cucumbers pollinate?
To hand-pollinate a cucumber, dip a paintbrush into the center of a male flower. Some gardeners use a cotton swab instead of a paintbrush. The pollen sticks to the bristles on the paintbrush just as it would stick to the hairs on a bee’s body.
What are the parts of a cucumber plant?
Cucumbers: the edible part of the plant, covered with prickles and containing firm, juicy flesh and soft seeds Nodes: the part of the stem where flowers and fruit appear, sometimes more than one cucumber per node, depending on the variety Internodal areas: the vine stem between nodes (where you should prune, if needed)
What is the scientific name of cucumber plant?
Cucumber, Cucumis sativus, is a warm season, vining, annual plant in the family Cucurbitaceae grown for its edible cucumber fruit. The cucumber plant is a sprawling vine with large leaves and curling tendrils. The plant may have 4 or 5 main stems from which the tendrils branch.
What is the internal structure of a fruit?
Fruit anatomy is the internal structure of fruit, the mature ovary or ovaries from one or more flowers. In fleshy fruits, the outer and often edible layer is the pericarp, which is the tissue that develops from the ovary wall of the flower and surrounds the seeds.
What is the difference between male and female cucumbers?
Cucumbers are monoecious plants which have separate male and female flowers on the same plant (Fig. 1.3, & 1.4). The male flowers appear first and female flowers shortly later. The female flowers have small immature fruit at the base of the flower and male flower do not have any.