Cucumber

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely grown plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. This family also includes squash. A cucumber looks similar to a zucchini (British English: courgette).

Cucumber
Cucumbers growing on vines
Photograph of a single cucumber fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cucumis
Species:	C. sativus
Binomial name
Cucumis sativus L.

To a botanist, cucumbers are biologically fruits even if they are commonly thought of as vegetables: that is their value as a food. They can be cooked, eaten raw, or pickled. Some people hollow out the cucumber and fill it with other food, like tomatoes or feta cheese.

Cucumbers grow on plants called vines. They need warm weather, sunlight, and water. People grow them in gardens, farms, and greenhouses.

Cucumber vines have small, curly stems called tendrils. Tendrils wrap around sticks, fences, or other plants. They help the vine climb and stay strong.

Wild cucumbers have weak spines that are used as a defense but can easily be swept off of the cucumber's surface but many people have purebred cucumbers to be less spiny

A pile of cucumbers for sale at a market

Cucumber Media

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  Concombre Fournier in "Les plantes potagères" Vilmorin 1925

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  Cucumis sativus flower

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  The dark cucumber is a Sikkim cucumber. The pale center cucumber is an Armenian cucumber. The bright yellow-orange cucumber is an intensely colored lemon cucumber.

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  Japanese asazuke pickled cucumbers sold as street food on Enoshima island

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  structure of E,Z-2,6-nonadienal

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  Lobster, Crab, and a Cucumber by William Henry Hunt (watercolour, 1826 or 1827)

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  Organic Gardener Holding a Fresh Salad Cucumber

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  Photoed using Samsung Wave 525.

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  A Scandinavian cucumber in slices

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  Cucumber Cucumis sativus: Will square this one at some point. Grated cucumber for the sauce.