Cucumis metuliferus

Cucumis metuliferus, also known as the African horned cucumber (shortened to horned cucumber), horned melon, spiked melon, jelly melon, or kiwano, is an annual vine in the cucumber and melon family Cucurbitaceae. Its fruit has horn-like spines, hence the name "horned melon". The ripe fruit has orange skin and lime-green, soft flesh. Cucumis metuliferus is native to Southern Africa, in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Angola.

Description

A pumpkin family plant. It is an annual plant. It grows to 0.5 m tall and spreads to 1.5 m wide. The stems are trailing and hairy. The tendrils are curled and do not branch. The leaves have 3 lobes and are heart shaped. The edges of the leaves have teeth. The flowers are funnel shaped. and yellow. They open into five lobes. Male and female flowers occur on the same plant. The female flower is above a prickly green ovary which enlarges to become the fruit. The fruit are oblong and spiny and change from green to orange as they ripen. They are 12 cm long and 6 cm across. The fleshy pulp surrounding the seeds is bright green. The seeds are white. It tastes and smells like a cucumber. The skin is not eaten.

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten raw. Reports differ on its quality — one describes it as insipid, another as rather bitter — though it is said to have a banana-lime flavour and is sometimes sold in speciality stores in Europe and America. In its native range it is not highly regarded and tends to be eaten only when food is scarce. Seeds can be eaten raw; they are rich in oil with a nutty flavour, though they are fiddly to use because they are small and covered with a fibrous coat. Leaves are edible when cooked.

Traditional Uses

The peeled fruit are eaten raw. They can also be cut open and sun dried for storage and use in preserves. The young leaves are stripped and cooked then eaten. The seeds are pounded and used for flavouring. CAUTION: If the plants are bitter they need to be used with caution.

Medicinal Uses

The seeds are vermifuge. They are ground into a fine flour, made into an emulsion with water, and eaten. A purge must then be taken to expel tapeworms or other parasites from the body.

Known Hazards

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It requires conditions similar to cucumbers. It prefers light well drained soil. It needs a protected sunny position. It is drought and frost tender. It grows at low and medium elevations in Zimbabwe. It grows between 210-1,800 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa*, Australia, Angola, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Congo, Congo DR, Cook Islands, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, France, Gambia, Guinea, Guinée, Israel, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Marquesas, Mediterranean, Middle East, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, North America, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, USA, West Africa, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny sheltered position. A frost-tender plant, the horned cucumber is frequently cultivated for its fruit in tropical and sub-tropical climates, there are some named varieties. It requires a hotter summer than is normally experienced in Britain in order to produce a worthwhile crop and is generally best grown in a greenhouse in this country.

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

The plant is used as a rootstock for Cucumis sativus, conferring disease resistance. Because this species is less cold-tolerant than C. sativus, it is likely unsuitable as a rootstock in cool temperate regions.

Production

Plants grow rapidly. They flower and set fruit in 6-8 weeks. It is then 7 weeks to maturity.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. Fruit are sold in local markets. Improved varieties have been produced.

Notes

There are about 25 Cucumis species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

African horned melon, Afriška bučka, Chicuachavate, Chicuapuruto, Gaka, Gakachika, Hedged gourd, Horned melon, Jelly melon, Kangamkhwani, Magabala, Melano, Mokapana, Mucaca munzua, Mugagachiga, Mugaika, Mugaka, Mugamganam, Mugumudsambwa, Mukake, Mushonja, Mutete, Nku, Okuju, Tshinyagu, Tshithangavhavhe, Uhufafa, Umhlagahlaga

References (47)

• Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. ser. 4, 11:10. 1859
• Anywar, G., et al, 2014, Wild Plants Used as Nutraceuticals from Nebbi District, Uganda. European Journal of medicinal Plants. 4(6):641-660
• Aparicio, H., et al, 2021, Ethnobotanical study of medicinal and edible plants used in Nhamacoa area, Manica province
  -Mozambique. South African Journal of Botany 139 (2021) 318
  -328
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 305
• Burkill, H. M., 1985, The useful plants of west tropical Africa, Vol. 1. Kew.

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