The cucumber is Cucumis sativas of the gourd family cucurbitaceae
The cucumber is native to the northwest of India, according to Alphonse de Candolle.
He says the species hardwickii which is found wild form Kumaon to Sikkim has taxonomic characteristics similar to those of sativus except the skin is smooth and the flesh is bitter.
He states that the cucumber has been cultivated in India for at least 3,000 years and was introduced into China in the second century before Christ by a Chinese ambassador named Chang-kien.
The species then spread toward the West.