Cucumber Cucumis sativis

Origin

Evidence of cucumber origin was first discovered in ancient India. Cave drawings that show cucumbers date back to over 3000 years.
It is thought that Christopher Columbus brought the first cucumber to the Americas on his first voyage.
Cucumbers are now grown in most climates of the world.

Life Cycle

Cucumbers start from seeds planted in the earth after the danger of the first frost has past. Germinates tend to appear after 5-7 days.

Cucumber Germinates

After they germinate the plants will continue to grow and will eventually flower, where the pollination process occurs.

Cucumber Flowers

After pollination the plant will continue to mature until adult cucumbers grow on the stalks. This usually occurs 55 to 60 days after planting.

Mature Cucumber

Life History

Cucumbers generally take 55-65 days to reach maturity after planting
Some varieties can grow up to two feet long.
Plants don't grow very high but sprawl out across the dirt and when mature cucumbers begin to form they rest on the dirt therefore not breaking the stems of the plant.

Cucumbers as food

Cucumbers are highly nutritious vegetables. They are a great source of potassium fibers, vitamin K, and vitamin C. Cucumbers are also Very low Calorie so they are generally used as a weight loss or diet food. For instance, a cup of unpeeled cucumbers has 16 calories and 0.2g fat. They are mild, juicy and crisp snacks.

Friends and Enemies

Cucumbers rely on pollinators like bees to bring the pollen from the male flowers to the female flowers
Cucumbers also have enemies that find them just as tasty as humans
Some of these threats can be pests like Aphids, cucumber beetles or cutworms, or they can be herbivores like deer or rabbits.

Recipe

Cucumber Salad

Citations

Cucumber Sources

Created By

Ethan Ehrensbeck

Appreciate

Credits:

Created with images by Africa Studio - "Many green fresh cucumbers as background" • Africa Studio - "Cucumber growing in garden" • yanadjan - "homemade cucumber cultivation and harvest. selective focus. " • showcake - "cucumber slices on wooden background" • Henk - "Closeup of a female banded mining bee, Andrena gravida"