A valid name for the Xishuangbanna gourd, a cucumber with carotene-rich fruits.

ABSTRACT: Herbarium specimens deposited in publicly accessible collections are the basis for all scientific names because only permanent specimens can be re-studied by independent researchers, the very essence of science. Re-investigations may be done with morphological, chemical, genomic, computer-tomographic, or other methods. Based on new herbarium material, I here provide a name for the Xishuangbanna gourd, a plant long cultivated in Yunnan because of its large non-bitter fruits, rich in β-carotene. Genome re-sequencing of numerous accessions has shown that this cucumber mutant is closer to Cucumis sativus var. sativus than is the wild bitter-fruited progenitor C. sativus var. hardwickii, and two dozen studies have further clarified the genetics of key traits, including pulp color, fruit shape,

SUBMITTER: Renner SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5624209 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature