This plant family contains about 1000 species, many of which originate in or prefer a tropical to subtropical climate and thus don’t like frost very much. Well-known members include squashes, pumpkins, gourds, watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, cucumber, and the luffa plant. This is one of the most popular plant families grown by humans, with almost all species cultivated for food. Flowers are often large, yellow or white in color, and differentiated as either male or female. Some species have both types of flower on one plant, while others have separate male and female plants. Stems are often hairy and have tendrils growing from the nodes, which allows many of these plants to climb as vines.
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