Salinity causing hazard to crops, menace to agricultural practices affecting adversely to the growth and metabolism of plants. To explore salt resistant plant lines as phytoremediants is a need of time. Leaf being chief photosynthetic structure have central significance to plants on which all attributes depend. Morphological, Physiological and anatomical responses are main adaptations towards stresses which vary with species and ecotype as well as type and level of stress. Two cucurbit weeds from two ecotypes were selected to evaluate their leaf in terms of morphological, physiological and anatomical adaptations against various levels of salt (100, 200 and 400 mMNaCl). Number of leaves, leaf area index, number of tendrils, number of branches, internodal length, water potential, solute potential and turgor potential, chlorophyll, net assimilation rate of CO₂, rate of transpiration and stomatal conductance, total soluble sugars, total soluble proteins, total free amino acids, proline superoxide dismutase, catalase, midrib area, lamina thickness, upper epidermal thickness, lower epidermal thickness of leaf were studied. Citrullus colocynthis showed more adaptive response than Cucumis melo agrestis and desert ecotype was more successful than agricultural ecotype against stresses in morphological, physiological and anatomical adaptations.

Index-term; physiology, stress, citrullus, cucumis, salt, anatomy