Cucumber, Garden cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Physical Characteristics

Cucumis sativus is a ANNUAL CLIMBER growing to 2 m (6ft 7in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Distribution

Possibly native of the E. Indies, but the original habitat is obscure.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit Leaves Oil Seed Edible Uses: Oil Fruit - raw or cooked. The cucumber is a common ingredient of salads, being valued mainly for its crisp texture and juiciness[1, 2, 7, 46]. However, it is very watery, with little flavour and is not very nutritious[K]. Many people find the fruit to be indigestible, this is due to the high cellulose content[7]. The fruit varies widely in size between cultivars but can be up to 1 metre long. It can be available from mid summer until early autumn from outdoor grown plants. Seed - raw[57, 86]. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[K]. Young leaves and stems - cooked as a potherb. Oil from seed[61]. Said to resemble olive oil, it is used in salad dressings and French cooking[183]. The oil contains 22.3% linoleic acid, 58.5% oleic acid, 6.8% palmitic acid and 3.7% stearic acid[218].

Medicinal Uses

Aperient Diuretic Skin Tonic Vermifuge The leaf juice is emetic, it is used to treat dyspepsia in children[218]. The fruit is depurative, diuretic, emollient, purgative and resolvent[7, 21, 201, 218]. The fresh fruit is used internally in the treatment of blemished skin, heat rash etc, whilst it is used externally as a poultice for burns, sores etc and also as a cosmetic for softening the skin[218, 238]. The seed is cooling, diuretic, tonic and vermifuge[4, 218]. 25 - 50 grams of the thoroughly ground seeds (including the seed coat) is a standard dose as a vermifuge and usually needs to be followed by a purgative to expel the worms from the body[4]. A decoction of the root is diuretic[218].

Known Hazards

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[65].