Description of the family:
Climbing or prostrate, annual or perennial, monoecious or dioecious, herbs, less often woody lianes, rarely erect herbs without tendrils. Leaves alternate, palmately veined and often palmately lobed. Tendrils usually 1 at each node, rarely 0. Flowers unisexual, epigynous, axillary. Glandular bract-like "probracts" sometimes present at base of peduncles. Petals usually 5, free or united; corolla usually actinomorphic. Stamens basically 5 but commonly modified; staminodes often present in female flowers. Ovary inferior, 1(-3)-locular. Style with 2 or 3 lobes or styles 3. Fruit a capsule, berry or hard-shelled pepo.

Worldwide:
120 genera and 775 species, mainly in tropical and warm areas, with a few temperate species.

Zimbabwe:
21 genera and 54 taxa.

  • Acanthosicyos Welw. ex Hook. f.
  • Citrullus Schrad. ex Eckl. & Zeyh.
  • Coccinia Wight & Arn.
  • Corallocarpus Welw. ex Hook. f.
  • Ctenolepis Hook. f.
  • Cucumella Chiov.
  • Cucumis L.
  • Cyclantheropsis Harms
  • Diplocyclos (Endl.) Post. & Kuntze
  • Eureiandra Hook. f.
  • Kedrostis Medik.
  • Lagenaria Ser.
  • Luffa Mill.
  • Momordica L.
  • Mukia Arn.
  • Oreosyce Hook. f.
  • Peponium Engl.
  • Raphidiocystis Hook. f.
  • Telfairia Hook.
  • Trochomeria Hook. f.
  • Zehneria Endl.