Ethnobotany and the economic role of the cucurbitaceae of China

China, as one of the ancient centers for diversity of domesticated plants, has a rich germplasm resource in vegetable and fruit crops. The Cucurbitaceae is one of the three most important families in that country as sources of vegetables. In a continuing effort to inform the West on Chinese uses of the Cucurbitaceae, we update a 1989 description of cucurbits in China with the inclusion of information from untranslated Chinese literature and further field observations. Included are 63 species valued as fruits, vegetables, and/or medicinal herbs. Each of these species is discussed in the context of its usages in China. We summarize the economic role of cultivated cucurbits in present day China. Finally, the infraspecific variation within the economically important domesticated cucurbits (Citrullus lanatus, Cucumis melo, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita spp., Lagenaria siceraria, Luffa spp., and Momordica charantia) is discussed. / [Abstract in Chinese]