Melancium campestre

Naudin

Melancia-do-campo

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Description

A pumpkin family plant. It is a herb that keeps growing from year to year. The stems lie along the ground. They are hairy. The leaves are simple with 3-5 irregular lobes. They are 5-6 cm long and hairy. Flowers are separately male and female but on the same plant. The female flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves and several male flowers occur in a group. The fruit are round and 10 cm across. The pulp is juicy and sweet.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. Often made into juices. A succulent pulp with a slightly sweet flavour. The fruit is up to 9cm in diameter. The pulp contains a number of seeds that have small hairs all facing in the same direction. When eating the pulp with the seeds present, the seeds tend to slide uncontrollably towards the throat.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten fresh or used for juice.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Vermifuge. No further details are given, but it probably refers to the seeds.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in the savannas all over Brazil. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, South America*,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.

Synonyms

Cucurbita odorifera Vell.

Also Known As

Cabacui, Melaozinho-do-cerrado

References (5)

Ann. Sci. Nat. Ser. 4. 16:175. 1861
Bortolotto, I. M., et al, 2018, Lista preliminar das plantas alimenticias nativas de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Iheringia, Serie Botanica, Porto Alegre, 73 (supl.):101-116
Lorenzi, H., Bacher, L., Lacerda, M. & Sartori, S., 2006, Brazilian Fruits & Cultivated Exotics. Sao Paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. p 131
Peres, M. K., 2011, Diasporos do Cerrado Atrativos para Fauna: Chave Interativa Caracterizacao Visual e Relacoes Ecologicas. Masters thesis. Universidade de Brasilia.
www.colecionandofrutas.org