''Alsomitra'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of the

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

family

Cucurbitaceae The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are: *''Cucurbita'' – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds *''Lagena ...

(the

cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated Vine#Horticultural climbing plants, creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical Fruit, fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.

squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

, and

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

family). The seeds of ''

Alsomitra macrocarpa ''Alsomitra macrocarpa'' () or the Javan cucumber is a gourd-bearing liana, belonging to the pumpkin family from the tropical Asian forests of the Malay Archipelago and the Indonesian islands. '' Alsomitra'' is a genus of 34 species of vines fo ...

'' are among the largest winged seeds in the plant kingdom and their shape inspired a number of aviation pioneers.Horten; Two brothers, one wing
/ref>

Selected species

*'' Alsomitra angulata'' *'' Alsomitra angustipetala'' *'' Alsomitra balansae'' *'' Alsomitra beccariana'' *'' Alsomitra brasiliensis'' *'' Alsomitra capricornica'' *''

'' - Javan cucumber

References

External links

Wind dispersal of seedsAlsomitra macrocarpa seed

* KBD: Kew Bibliographic Databases of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

* ttp://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8391000/8391345.stm BBC - Vine seeds become 'giant gliders' Cucurbitaceae genera Cucurbitaceae Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Cucurbitales-stub