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''Cucumis melo'', also known as melon, is a species of ''
Cucumis __NOTOC__ ''Cucumis'' is a genus of twining, tendril-bearing plants in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes the cucumber (''Cucumis sativus''), muskmelons (''Cucumis melo'', including cantaloupe and honeydew), the horned melon ('' Cucumis ...
'' that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. The fruit is a
pepo PEPO Lappeenranta (abbreviated PEPO) is a football club from Lappeenranta in Finland. The club was formed in 1958 and their home ground is at the Kimpinen Sports Centre. The men's first team currently plays in the Ykkönen (Second Division). ...
. The flesh is either sweet or bland, with or without a musky aroma, and the rind can be smooth (such as honeydew), ribbed (such as European cantaloupe), wrinkled (such as casaba melon), or netted (such as muskmelon). In North America, the sweet-flesh varieties are often collectively called muskmelon, including the musky netted-rind varieties and the inodorous smooth-rind varieties, and cantaloupe usually means the former type. However, muskmelon in a narrow sense only refers to the musky netted-rind type, while the true cantaloupe is the European type with ribbed and often warty rind that is seldom grown in North America. The origin of melons is not known. Research has revealed that seeds and
rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to a ...
s 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, and in modern times wild melons can still be found in some African countries.


Background

The melon is an
annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...
, trailing herb. It grows well in subtropical or warm, temperate climates. Melons prefer warm, well-fertilized soil with good drainage that is rich in nutrients, but are vulnerable to
downy mildew Downy mildew refers to any of several types of oomycete microbes that are obligate parasites of plants. Downy mildews exclusively belong to the Peronosporaceae family. In commercial agriculture, they are a particular problem for growers of crucif ...
and
anthracnose A plant canker is a small area of dead tissue, which grows slowly, often over years. Some cankers are of only minor consequence, but others are ultimately lethal and therefore can have major economic implications for agriculture and horticultur ...
. Disease risk is reduced by
crop rotation Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of different types of crops in the same area across a sequence of growing seasons. It reduces reliance on one set of nutrients, pest and weed pressure, and the probability of developing resistant ...
with non- cucurbit crops, avoiding crops susceptible to similar diseases as melons.
Cross pollination Pollination is the transfer of pollen from an anther of a plant to the stigma of a plant, later enabling fertilisation and the production of seeds, most often by an animal or by wind. Pollinating agents can be animals such as insects, birds, a ...
has resulted in some varieties developing resistance to
powdery mildew Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as ...
. Insects attracted to melons include the
cucumber beetle Cucumber beetle is a common name given to members of two genera of beetles, ''Diabrotica'' and ''Acalymma'', both in the family Chrysomelidae. The adults can be found on cucurbits such as cucumbers and a variety of other plants. Many are no ...
,
melon aphid ''Aphis gossypii'' is a tiny insect, an aphid ("greenfly") in the superfamily Aphidoidea in the order Hemiptera. It is a true bug and sucks sap from plants. It is a widely distributed pest of a variety of agricultural crops in the families Cuc ...
,
melonworm moth ''Diaphania hyalinata'', the melonworm moth, is a moth of the family Crambidae. It is found in eastern North America, south to Central and South America, including Suriname and the Caribbean. The wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of ...
and the
pickleworm ''Diaphania nitidalis'', the pickleworm, is a serious agricultural pest insect in the family Crambidae. It damages squash (fruit), squash primarily, but it is also a common pest of other Cucurbitaceae, cucurbits such as cucumbers and melons. It i ...
.


Genetics

Melons are
monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is conne ...
plants. They do not cross with
watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...
,
cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated Vine#Horticultural climbing plants, creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical Fruit, fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.
,
pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...
, or
squash Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...
, but varieties within the species intercross frequently. The genome of ''Cucumis melo'' was first sequenced in 2012. Some authors treat ''C. melo'' as having two subspecies, ''C. melo agrestis'' and ''C. melo melo''. Variants within these subspecies fall into groups whose genetics largely agree with their phenotypic traits, such as disease resistance, rind texture, flesh color, and fruit shape. Variants or landraces (some of which were originally classified as species; see the synonyms list to the right) include ''C. melo'' var. ''acidulus'', ''adana'', ''agrestis'', ''ameri'', ''cantalupensis'', ''chandalak'', ''chate'', ''chinensis'', ''chito'', ''conomon'', ''dudaim'', ''flexuosus'', ''inodorus'', ''makuwa'', ''momordica'', ''reticulatus'' and ''tibish''. Not all varieties are sweet melons. The
snake melon The Armenian cucumber, ''Cucumis melo'' var. ''flexuosus'', is a type of long, slender fruit which tastes like a cucumber and looks somewhat like a cucumber inside. It is actually a variety of muskmelon (''C. melo''), a species closely related ...
, also called the Armenian cucumber and Serpent cucumber, is a non-sweet melon found throughout Asia from Turkey to Japan. It is similar to a
cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated Vine#Horticultural climbing plants, creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical Fruit, fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.
in taste and appearance. Outside Asia, snake melons are grown in the United States, Italy, Sudan and parts of North Africa, including Egypt. The snake melon is more popular in Arab countries. Other varieties grown in Africa are bitter, cultivated for their edible seeds. For commercially grown varieties certain features like protective hard netting and firm flesh are preferred for purposes of shipping and other requirements of commercial markets.


Nutrition

Per 100 gram serving, cantaloupe melons provide 34
calories The calorie is a unit of energy. For historical reasons, two main definitions of "calorie" are in wide use. The large calorie, food calorie, or kilogram calorie was originally defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of on ...
and are a rich source (20% or more the
Daily Value The Reference Daily Intake (RDI) used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products in the U.S. and Canada is the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97–98% of health ...
, DV) of
vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably bet ...
(68% DV) and
vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...
(61% DV), with other nutrients at a negligible level. Melons are 90% water and 9%
carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or may ...
, with less than 1% each of
protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
and
fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers spec ...
.


Uses

In addition to their consumption when fresh, melons are sometimes
dried Drying is a mass transfer process consisting of the removal of water or another solvent by evaporation from a solid, semi-solid or liquid. This process is often used as a final production step before selling or packaging products. To be consider ...
. Other varieties are cooked, or grown for their seeds, which are processed to produce melon oil. Still other varieties are grown only for their pleasant fragrance. The
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
ese
liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...
Midori Midori (みどり, ミドリ, , , ) is the Japanese word for "green" and may refer to: Places * Midori, Gunma * Midori-ku, Chiba * Midori-ku, Nagoya * Midori-ku, Sagamihara * Midori-ku, Saitama * Midori-ku, Yokohama People Given name * M ...
is flavored with melon.


History

There is debate among scholars whether the ''abattiach'' in The Book of Numbers 11:5 refers to a melon or a
watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...
. Both types of melon were known in Ancient Egypt and other settled areas. Some botanists consider melons native to the
Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...
and Egypt, while others place the origin in
Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, India or Central Asia, thus the origin is uncertain. Researchers have shown that seeds and
rootstock A rootstock is part of a plant, often an underground part, from which new above-ground growth can be produced. It could also be described as a stem with a well developed root system, to which a bud from another plant is grafted. It can refer to a ...
s were among the goods traded along the caravan routes of the Ancient World. Several scientists support an African origin, and in modern times wild melons can still be found in several African countries in East Africa like Ethiopia, Somalia and Tanzania. Melon was domesticated in West Asia and over time many
cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
s developed with variety in shape and sweetness. Iran, India, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and China become centers for melon production. Melons were consumed in Ancient Greece and Rome.


Gallery

File:Cucumis melo 1 (Piotr Kuczynski).jpg,
Galia melon The Galia melon, also known as sarda in Southeast Asia, is a type of F1 hybrid melon originating from a cross between the green-flesh melon cultivar 'Ha-Ogen' and the netted-rind melon cultivar 'Krimka'. Developed in Israel at the Ne´ve Yaar Re ...
File:03-05-JPN202.jpg, Japanese "crown melon" intended as a high-priced gift: The pictured crown melon is 6300
yen The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar (US$) and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the e ...
, or about File:Squeredmelon inside001.jpg, 'Squared melon' grown in Atsumi District, Aichi Japan, known as ''kakumero'' File:Armenian cucumbers.jpeg, The
Armenian cucumber The Armenian cucumber, ''Cucumis melo'' var. ''flexuosus'', is a type of long, slender fruit which tastes like a cucumber and looks somewhat like a cucumber inside. It is actually a variety of muskmelon (''C. melo''), a species closely related t ...
, despite the name, is actually a type of melon. File:Prokudin-Gorskii-15.jpg, Melon vendor in
Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...
(between 1905 and 1915) File:Shirouri.JPG,
Oriental pickling melon Oriental pickling melon, called ''wolgwa'' (; ) in Korean language, Korean, and ''shirouri'' (; ) in Japanese language, Japanese, is a group of nonsweet Cucumis melo, melon cultivars used in Asian cuisines. Use The melon is used as a vegetable ...
File:Muskmelon Seeds.jpg, Muskmelon Seeds


See also

*
Bailan melon The Bailan melon is a locally famous melon grown near Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu province in the People's Republic of China. It is a variety of honeydew melon, globose to subglobose and typically has white skin with sweet, white or pale g ...
*
Barattiere The barattiere is a landrace variety of muskmelon (''Cucumis melo'') found in Southern Italy. It is common in the Apulia region of Italy and in the region of Sahel in Tunisia. Uses In Italian cuisine, barattiere is typically consumed in an im ...
– a
landrace A landrace is a domesticated, locally adapted, often traditional variety of a species of animal or plant that has developed over time, through adaptation to its natural and cultural environment of agriculture and pastoralism, and due to isolation ...
variety of melon found in
Southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...
*
Canary melon The Canary melon (''Cucumis melo'' (''Inodorus'' group)) or winter melon is a large, bright-yellow elongated melon with a pale green to white inner flesh. This melon has a distinctively sweet flavor that is slightly tangier than a honeydew melo ...
*
Carosello ''Carosello'' () was an Italian television advertising show broadcast on RAI from 1957 to 1977. The series mainly showed short sketch comedy films using live action, various types of animation, and puppetry. It had an audience of about 20 milli ...
– a landrace variety of melon found in Southern Italy *
Crane melon The Crane Melon is an heirloom melon developed by Oliver Crane in the early 20th century. The melon is an edible gourd with sweet and fruity flesh. Characteristics The Crane Melon is a variety that was developed in the early 1900s in Penngr ...
*
Gaya melon Gaya melon, also known as snowball melon, ghost melon, dinosaur melon, dinosaur egg melon, dino melon, and dino egg melon, is a small to medium-sized honeydew melon developed originally in Japan and Korea and now grown in China, Mexico, southe ...
*
Hami melon Lead Hami melon is a kind of melon produced in Hami, Xinjiang. It is well known for its sweet taste and long-standing history. The Hami melon (; pinyin: Hāmì guā) is a type of muskmelon, originally from Hami, Xinjiang, China. The origin of ...
*
Korean melon The oriental melon (''Cucumis melo'' Makuwa Group), is a group of ''Cucumis melo'' cultivars that is cultivated in East Asia. Phylogenetic studies tracing the genetic lineage of the plant suggest that it may have originated in eastern India, havi ...
*
Melon ball Melon ballers are utensils to make balls of melon from a scoop with a diameter from around 1 centimeter to 3 centimeters (about 3/8 inch to 1 inch). They are generally used to make fruit salad. Melon balls are made by pressing them into the melo ...
*
Melon Day Melon Day is an annual national holiday in Turkmenistan devoted to festivities to celebrate the country's muskmelon, in particular a recent crossbreed product named " Turkmenbashy melon" (after Turkmenistan's first president), which is praised f ...
*
Montreal melon The Montreal melon, also known as the Montreal market muskmelon or the Montreal nutmeg melon (french: melon de Montréal), is a variety of melon recently rediscovered and cultivated in the Montreal, Quebec, Canada, area. Scientifically, it is a c ...
* Sugar melon


References


External links


Cucumis melo L.
– Purdue University, Center for New Crops & Plant Products.

– Multilingual multiscript plant name database

– Varietal names and pictures {{Authority control melo Fruits originating in Asia Melons Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus