Cucumber

The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a widely grown plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. This family also includes squash. A cucumber looks similar to a zucchini (British English: courgette).

To a botanist, cucumbers are biologically fruits even if they are commonly thought of as vegetables: that is their value as a food. They can be cooked, eaten raw, or pickled. Some people hollow out the cucumber and fill it with other food, like tomatoes or feta cheese. ^[1]

Cucumbers grow on plants called vines. They need warm weather, sunlight, and water. People grow them in gardens, farms, and greenhouses.

Cucumber vines have small, curly stems called tendrils. Tendrils wrap around sticks, fences, or other plants. They help the vine climb and stay strong.

Wild cucumbers have weak spines that are used as a defense but can easily be swept off of the cucumber's surface but many people have purebred cucumbers to be less spiny