in the gourd family Cucurbitaceae. It is a creeping vine
which bears cylindrical edible fruit when ripe. Cucumbers
belong to the same botanical family as melons (including
watermelon and cantaloupe) and squashes (including
summer squash, winter squash, zucchini and pumpkin).
Cucumber plants naturally thrive in both temperate and
tropical environments, and generally require temperatures
between 60-90°F/15-33°C. For this reason, they are native to
many regions of the world. In evolutionary terms, the first
cucumbers were likely to have originated in Western Asia or
parts of the Middle East. Cucumbers are mentioned in the
legend of Gilgamesh—a Uruk king who lived around 2500
BC in what is now Iraq and Kuwait.