CUCURBITACEAE: MELÃO-DE-SÃO-CAETANO E BUCHA

Plants of the Cucurbitaceae family are represented throughout the country by native and introduced genera, the latter containing the majority of cultivated species. Momordica is the most important genus from the perspective of invasive plants. Generally, the stem is creeping or climbing by tendrils, and the leaves are alternate with the blade cut into lobes, shallow or very deep. The flowers are axillary, solitary or grouped in inflorescences, and always of separate sexes on the same plant or on different plants. Generally, the female flowers, devoid of nectar and pollen, mimic the male flowers in shape and color; this characteristic aids in the pollination process. The fruits formed by most species are fleshy peponids, except for the dehiscent fleshy capsules, occurring in Momordica charantia, and the dry opercular capsules occurring in Luffa species. The two main weeds that frequently occur in some sugarcane fields are bitter melon and loofah. Source: Moreira and Bragança (2010). Manual for identifying weeds: summer crops.