Cucumis melo

Cucumis melo, also known as melon, is a species of Cucumis that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. The fruit is a pepo. The flesh is either sweet or bland, with or without an aroma, and the rind can be smooth (such as honeydew), ribbed (such as European cantaloupe), wrinkled (such as Casaba melon), or netted (such as American cantaloupe). The species is sometimes referred to as muskmelon. However, there is no consensus about the usage of this term, as it can also be used as a specific name for the musky netted-rind American cantaloupe, or as a generic name for any sweet-flesh variety such the inodorous smooth-rind honeydew melon. The origin of melons is not known. Research has revealed that seeds and rootstocks were among the goods traded along the caravan routes of the Ancient World. Some botanists consider melons native to the Levant and Egypt, while others place their origin in Iran, India or Central Asia. Still others support an African origin; in modern times, wild melons can still be found in some African countries.

Description

A pumpkin family plant. It is an annual climber with tendrils. It grows to 0.5 m high and spreads to 1.5 m across. The stems are soft and hairy and often angled. The leaves have lobes and often a wavy or toothed edge. They are on long leaf stalks. The leaves are often hairy underneath. The tendrils are not branched. The flowers are yellow and funnel shaped with expanded lobes. The male flowers occur in clusters and are produced before the female flowers. The fruit is round, mostly with a rough or streaky skin. It is green or yellow inside. The fruit is edible. Different kinds of melons occur. Some have a hard warty scaly skin. Others have a network of fine ridges over the surface.

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten raw. It is very watery but has a delicate, refreshing flavour and is rich in vitamins B and C. The flesh can also be dried, ground into a powder, and used alongside cereals when making bread, biscuits, and similar foods. Fruit size varies considerably between cultivars but reaches up to 10cm long and 7cm wide. Seeds can be eaten raw; they are rich in oil with a nutty flavour, though small size and a fibrous coat make them fiddly to prepare. The seed contains between 12.5% and 39.1% oil, and an edible oil is extracted from it.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten raw. They are also dried, candied and made into jams, jellies and preserves. The seeds are sometimes eaten. They are roasted. The seeds are blended with fruit juice to form a drink. Sometimes the immature fruit are cooked as a vegetable. The seeds contain an edible light oil. The young leaves are eaten as a potherb.

Medicinal Uses

The fruit can be used externally as a cooling cleanser or moisturiser for the skin, and as a first aid treatment for burns and abrasions. The flowers are expectorant and emetic. The fruit itself is stomachic. The seed is antitussive, digestive, febrifuge, and vermifuge; when used as a vermifuge, the whole seed including the seed coat is ground into a fine flour, made into an emulsion with water, and eaten, after which a purge must be taken to expel tapeworms or other parasites. The root is diuretic and emetic.

Known Hazards

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is not suited to places with high rainfall. They suit hot dry places with a fertile well drained soil. It needs a sheltered sunny position. It is drought and frost tender. A temperature range of 24-28°C is best but much higher temperatures is tolerated. Mostly they are grown below 500 m altitude in the tropics. In PNG it has been recorded up to 2,100 m above sea level. A pH of 6-6.7 is best. Acid soils are not suitable. It can grow in deserts and arid places. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Africa, Amazon, American Samoa, Angola, Arabia, Aruba, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central Asia, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial-Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liberia, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Reunion, Romania, Rwanda, Sahel, Samoa, SE Asia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Spain, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Torres Strait, Tunisia, Turkey, Türkiye, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, USA, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a warm, very sunny position. A frost-tender annual plant, the melon is widely cultivated in gardens and commercially, especially in warmer climates than Britain, for its edible fruit. Some varieties may succeed outdoors in Britain in hot summers but in general it is best to grow melons under protection in this country. This is a very variable species that has long been cultivated for its edible fruit. As a result, a number of distinct forms have arisen and there are many named varieties within each of these forms. These forms have been classified by botanists into groups as detailed below. Each of these groups has been given a separate entry in the database. C. melo agrestis. A wild form of the melon. It is not usually grown for its fruit but is of potential value in breeding programmes. C. melo cantalupensis. The cantaloupe or netted melons. C. melo chito. The orange melon. This form occasionally escapes from cultivation and is naturalized in some tropical and sub-tropical areas. C. melo conomon. The pickling or sweet melon. This form is also of value in breeding programmes for disease resistance. C. melo flexuosus. The serpent melon. C. melo inodorus. The honeydew melon. C. melo momordica. The snap melon. This form is also of value in breeding programmes for pest and disease resistance. Grows well with corn and sunflowers but dislikes potatoes. The weeds fat hen and sow thistle improve the growth and cropping of melons.

Propagation

Sow seed in early to mid spring in a greenhouse in rich soil; germination should occur within 2 weeks. Sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin to the strongest plant. Grow on quickly and plant out after the last expected frosts, providing cloche or frame protection for at least the first few weeks if growing outdoors.

Other Uses

An oil is obtained from the seed. No other uses are known.

Production

Plants are ready 3-4 months after planting. Yields of 20 kg per10 sq m is average.

Other Information

Only occasionally seen in Papua New Guinea. They are common in Africa both wild and cultivated. It is cultivated in many countries.

Notes

There are about 25 Cucumis species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Akobokobo, Akolil, Andawk, Atimon, 'Atiu, Bangi, Blewah, Bluwak, Boromi, Budamakaya, Chibar, Chibbarh, Chibhar, Chiratu, Chukkangai, Gagalum, Itimon, Kaachri, Kachri, Karal, Karitu, Kayimbe, Kharbuja, Kharbujadosa, Kharmuj, Kipap, Kothimdu, Luwinbe, Madhupaka, Meble, Milon, Mitero, Mpombe, Mulampazham, Musk-melon, Nesvi, Putzakova, Sane, Semangka londo, Syrian cucumber, Taena-thai, Teeng laay, Thakwa-hmwe, Thoithe suri, Thumattikai, Trasak srow, Ulkuta, Wunbut

References (104)

• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 148 and p 149 (As Cucumis pubescens)
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 208
• Arellanes, Y., et al, 2013, Influence of traditional markets on plant management in the Tehuacan Valley. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 9:38
• Asfaw, Z. and Tadesse, M., 2001, Prospects for Sustainable Use and Development of Wild Food Plants in Ethiopia. Economic Botany, Vol. 55, No. 1, pp. 47-62
• Balkrishna, A., et al, 2022, Indigenous Uses of Plants among Forest-dependent Communities of Seijosa, Arunachal Pradesh. International Journal of Economic Plants 2022, 9(1):064-080

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