Are squash and cucumber related?

Cucumber is cucumis sativus and summer squash is cucurbita pepo. Although they are in the same plant family, they are different genera and species and they will not cross. However if you grow different varieties of cucumbers, cucumbers will cross with one another. And summer squash will cross with other summer squash.

What are zucchinis related to?

zucchini, (Cucurbita pepo), also called courgette, variety of summer squash in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), grown for its edible fruits. Zucchinis are common in home gardens and supermarkets, and the young fruits are cooked as a vegetable.

What are cucumbers related to?

Cucumber, melon, and watermelon are originally from the Old World (primarily Africa and Asia). Although they are in the same family (Cucurbitaceae) with the squashes, pumpkins, and gourds (mostly of the genus Cucurbita ), they are only distantly related.

What vegetable family is a cucumber?

gourd family
Cucurbitaceae, the gourd family of flowering plants, belonging to the order Cucurbitales and containing 98 genera and about 975 species of food and ornamental plants. Members of the family are annual or perennial herbs native to temperate and tropical areas and include cucumbers, gourds, melons, squashes, and pumpkins.

Are zucchini and watermelon related?

The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are: Cucurbita – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds. Lagenaria – calabash, and others that are inedible. Citrullus – watermelon (C.

Are zucchini and pumpkin related?

The same species! Granted, they are different cultivars—varieties that were selectively bred for different traits such as taste or growing conditions. Yet from the long green of a zucchini to the round orange of (most) pumpkins, and numerous squash in between, they are all technically the same species.

Are cucumbers and zucchini fruit?

When you compare a cucumber vs zucchini, they both have a green skin and a cylindrical shape, however, there are many differences between the two. A fun fact to start off, cucumbers and zucchini are technically fruits because they develop from a flower and have seeds in the middle.

Are cantaloupes and cucumbers related?

Cucurbits. Both cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) and cantaloupes (C. melo) belong to the genus Cucurbita; other members include watermelons, honeydew, summer squash and winter squash.

Is watermelon related to cantaloupe?

It’s true that watermelon and other melons like the honeydew and cantaloupe (which are fruits) are in the Cucurbitaceae family, but the watermelon is in the Citrullus genus, which is an important distinction between the two types of produce.

Are pumpkins and zucchini related?

Is zucchini a squash or a melon?

Zucchini, Cucurbita pepo, is a member of the cucumber and melon family and is harvested while immature, making the rind tender and edible, like all summer squashes. Botanically, zucchini is a fruit, but it’s treated as a vegetable.

Is zucchini the same as cucumber?

Zucchini and cucumber almost look the same, especially if the former is harvested when small. Cucumber originated from India whereas zucchini emerged from Italy. Zucchini is classified as a vegetable and cucumber is classified as both a fruit and a vegetable. Let’s look more closely at zucchini vs. cucumber.

Can you cook cucumbers like zucchini?

Next, cucumbers have a much stronger flavor than zucchini. The flavor comes through even if you just drop a few cucumber slices into a pitcher of water, or grind up a cucumber into a lot of yogurt. The flavor becomes stronger if you freeze or cook a cucumber.

What is substitute for zucchini?

Depending on the recipe, you could probably substitute any squash or shredded yams for zucchini. The latter would produce a more dense, sweeter product. Stray away from using sweet potatoes as a substitute. They can be very sweet, and mushy. Carrots could also be a nice substitute in a more hearty dishes.

What are some good cucumber recipes?

Directions Slice the cucumber as thin as you can (1/8″ is good). Cut out nice circles from the white part of the bread using a 3in cookie cutter(toss the crusts). Spread a seriously THIN layer of mayo on each slice and artfully arrange 3-4 cucumber slices on each open faced sandwich. Top with 3 or 4 shavings of onion.