ABSTRACT
Three types of flowers are common to cucurbits: staminate (male), pistillate (female), and hermaphrodite (perfect). A monosexual flower can be developed from a rudimentary bisexual bud, with one sex inhibiting the development of the other, resulting in a retarded organ which can be detected in the mature flower. Many members of the Cucurbitaceae family produce edible fruits, they are of commercial importance. There is a gradual increase in feminization towards the top of the shoot, with a concomitant reduction in male flowers. Hermaphroditic flowers exist in many gradations between male and female flowers, which further emphasizes the bisexual potential of buds. The pattern of flower distribution in plants bearing at least two types of flowers, or three types, may vary along a shoot and its lateral branches.
