Cucumis melo

{{short description|Species of plant}} {{Speciesbox | name = | image = muskmelon.jpg | image2 = | status = | status_system = | genus = Cucumis | species = melo | authority = L. | synonyms = {{Collapsible list | {{Plainlist | style = margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -1em; | *''Cucumis acidus'' Jacq. *''Cucumis agrestis'' (Naudin) Greb. nom. inval. *''Cucumis alba'' Nakai *''Cucumis ambiguus'' Fenzl ex Hook.f. nom. inval. *''Cucumis arenarius'' Schumach. & Thonn. *''Cucumis aromaticus'' Royle *''Cucumis bardanus'' Fenzl ex Naudin nom. inval. *''Cucumis bisexualis'' A.M.Lu & G.C.Wang *''Cucumis callosus'' (Rottler) Cogn. *''Cucumis campechianus'' Kunth *''Cucumis cantalupensis'' Haberle ex M.Roem. nom. illeg. *''Cucumis cantalupo'' Rchb. *''Cucumis chate'' Hasselq. *''Cucumis chate'' L. *''Cucumis chinensis'' (Pangalo) Pangalo *''Cucumis chito'' C.Morren *''Cucumis cicatrisatus'' Stocks *''Cucumis cognata'' Fenzl ex Hook.f. nom. inval. *''Cucumis conomon'' Thunb. *''Cucumis cubensis'' Schrad. *''Cucumis deliciosus'' Salisb. nom. illeg. *''Cucumis dudaim'' L. *''Cucumis eriocarpus'' Boiss. & Noë *''Cucumis erivanicus'' Steud. nom. inval. *''Cucumis flexuosus'' L. *''Cucumis jamaicensis'' Bertero ex Spreng. *''Cucumis jucunda'' F.Muell. *''Cucumis laevigatus'' Chiov. *''Cucumis maculatus'' Willd. *''Cucumis microcarpus'' (Alef.) Pangalo *''Cucumis microsperma'' Nakai *''Cucumis microspermus'' Nakai *''Cucumis momordica'' Roxb. *''Cucumis moschatus'' Gray nom. illeg. *''Cucumis odoratissimus'' Moench nom. illeg. *''Cucumis odoratissimus'' W.M.Carp. & Riddell nom. illeg. *''Cucumis officinarum-melo'' Crantz *''Cucumis orientalis'' Kudr. *''Cucumis pancherianus'' Naudin *''Cucumis pedatifidus'' Schrad. *''Cucumis persicodorus'' Seitz *''Cucumis persicus'' (Sarg.) M.Roem. *''Cucumis pictus'' Jacq. *''Cucumis princeps'' Wender. *''Cucumis pseudocolocynthis'' Royle *''Cucumis pseudocolocynthis'' Wender. *''Cucumis pubescens'' Willd. *''Cucumis pyriformis'' Roxb. ex Wight & Arn. nom. inval. *''Cucumis reflexus'' Zeyh. ex Ser. nom. inval. *''Cucumis reginae'' Schrad. *''Cucumis schraderianus'' M.Roem. *''Cucumis serotinus'' Haberle ex Seitz *''Cucumis trigonus'' Roxb. *''Cucumis turbinatus'' Roxb. *''Cucumis umbilicatus'' Salisb. nom. illeg. *''Cucumis utilissimus'' Roxb. *''Cucumis villosus'' Boiss. & Noë nom. inval. *''Cucurbita aspera'' Sol. ex G.Forst. nom. inval. *''Ecballium lambertianum'' M.Roem. *''Melo adana'' (Pangalo) Pangalo *''Melo adzhur'' Pangalo *''Melo agrestis'' (Naudin) Pangalo *''Melo ameri'' Pangalo *''Melo cantalupensis'' (Naudin) Pangalo *''Melo cassaba'' Pangalo *''Melo chandalak'' Pangalo *''Melo chinensis'' Pangalo *''Melo conomon'' Pangalo *''Melo dudaim'' (L.) Sageret *''Melo figari'' Pangalo *''Melo flexuosus'' (L.) Pangalo *''Melo microcarpus'' (Alef.) Pangalo *''Melo monoclinus'' Pangalo *''Melo orientalis'' (Kudr.) Nabiev *''Melo persicus'' Sageret *''Melo sativus'' Sageret *''Melo vulgaris'' Moench ex Cogn. *''Melo zard'' Pangalo *''Melo ''× ''ambiguua'' Pangalo }} }} | synonyms_ref = <ref>{{citation |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2746992 |title=The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species |access-date=23 January 2016}}</ref> }}

'''''Cucumis melo''''', also known as '''melon'''<ref>{{GRIN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of Melon by Oxford Dictionary|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/melon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628235338/https://www.lexico.com/definition/melon|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 28, 2021|access-date=2021-02-13|website=Lexico Dictionaries {{!}} English}}</ref> or '''true 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.'''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Parsons |first=James |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DUZaAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA337 |title=The Microscopical Theatre of Seeds |publisher=F. Needham |year=1745 |volume=1 |location=London |pages=338}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Melon |url=https://www.britannica.com/plant/melon |access-date=2021-02-13 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of muskmelon|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muskmelon|access-date=2021-02-13|website=Dictionary by Merriam-Webster}}</ref>

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,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Raghami|first1=Mahmoud|last2=López-Sesé|first2=Ana Isabel|last3=Hasandokht|first3=Mohamad Reza|last4=Zamani|first4=Zabihollah|last5=Moghadam|first5=Mahmoud Reza Fattahi|last6=Kashi|first6=Abdolkarim|date=2014-01-01|title=Genetic diversity among melon accessions from Iran and their relationships with melon germplasm of diverse origins using microsatellite markers|journal=Plant Systematics and Evolution|language=en|volume=300|issue=1|pages=139–151|doi=10.1007/s00606-013-0866-y|issn=1615-6110|quote=Melons or muskmelon are native to Iran and adjacent countries toward the west and east. In fact, ‘Musk’ is a Persian word for a kind of perfume and ‘melon’ is derived from Greek words (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997). The origin of diversity for melon was traditionally believed to be in Africa (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997), although recent molecular systematic studies, suggested that it may be originated from Asia and then reached to Africa (Renner et al. 2007). Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Transcaucasia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan and China (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997) are considered primary diversity centre for melon (Tzitzikas et al. 2009).|doi-access=free|bibcode=2014PSyEv.300..139R |hdl=10261/408207|hdl-access=free}}</ref> India or Central Asia.<ref name="swenson">{{cite book |last1=Swenson |first1=Allan A. |title=Plants of the Bible: And How to Grow Them |date=1995 |publisher=Citadel Press |page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEt3GA6CxNwC&pg=PA77 |access-date=26 August 2019|isbn=9780806516158 }}</ref> Still others support an African origin; in modern times, wild melons can still be found in some African countries.<ref name=grubben />

==Background== The melon is an annual, trailing herb.<ref name="swenson" /> It grows well in subtropical or warm, temperate climates.<ref name=grubben /> It can be found as a weed around sites of recently built airports in American Samoa.<ref>{{cite book |last=Whistler |first=Art |title=Rare Plants of Samoa |date=2011 |publisher=Conservation International |isbn=978-982-9130-02-0 |page=93}}</ref>

Melons prefer warm, well-fertilized soil with good drainage that is rich in nutrients,<ref name=swenson /> but are vulnerable to downy mildew and anthracnose. Disease risk is reduced by crop rotation with non-cucurbit crops, avoiding crops susceptible to similar diseases as melons. Cross pollination has resulted in some varieties developing resistance to powdery mildew.<ref name="beattie">{{cite book |last1=Beattie |first1=James Herbert |title=Muskmelons |publisher=Agricultural Research Service |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Kd8p-YdI53cC&pg=PA2 |date=1951 |access-date=26 August 2019}}</ref> Insects attracted to melons include the cucumber beetle, melon aphids, melonworm moth and the pickleworm.<ref name=beattie />

==Genetics== {{Infobox genome | image =  | caption = | taxId = 10697 | ploidy = diploid | chromosomes = 12 | size = 374.77 Mb | year = 2012 }} Melons are monoecious or andromonoecious plants.<ref>{{Cite web |title=''Cucumis melo'' in Flora of North America |url=http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200022613 |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=eFloras.org}}</ref> They do not cross with watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, or squash, but varieties within the species intercross frequently.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/muskmelon.html|title=Muskmelons Originated in Persia - Archives - Aggie Horticulture|author=Martin Anderson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service|work=tamu.edu}}</ref> The genome of ''Cucumis melo'' was first sequenced in 2012.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The genome of melon (Cucumis melo L.)|author=Jordi Garcia-Mas | doi=10.1073/pnas.1205415109|pmid=22753475|volume=109|issue=29|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|pages=11872–11877|year=2012|pmc=3406823|bibcode=2012PNAS..10911872G|doi-access=free }}</ref> 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'' (Mangalore melon), ''adana'', ''agrestis'' (wild melon), ''ameri'' (summer melon), ''cantalupensis'' (cantaloupe), ''reticulatus'' (muskmelon), ''chandalak'', ''chate'', ''chito'', ''conomon'' (Oriental pickling melon), ''dudaim'' (pocket melon), ''flexuosus'' (snake melon), ''inodorus'' (winter melon), ''momordica'' (snap melon), ''tibish'', ''chinensis'' and ''makuwa'' (Oriental melon).

Not all varieties are sweet melons. The snake melon, also called the Armenian cucumber and Serpent cucumber, is a non-sweet melon found throughout Asia from Turkey to Japan.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ashworth |first1=Suzanne |title=Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for the Vegetable Gardener |publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing |page=97 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N08guuBXT5gC&pg=PA97 |access-date=26 August 2019|isbn=9780988474901 |date=2012-10-31 }}</ref><ref name=grubben /> It is similar to a cucumber in taste and appearance.<ref name=goldman>{{cite book |last1=Goldman |first1=Amy |title=Melons: For the Passionate Grower |publisher=Artisan Books |page=112 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xqG22Ah3Hx4C&pg=PA112 |access-date=26 August 2019|isbn=9781579652135 |date=January 2002 }}</ref> Outside Asia, snake melons are grown in the United States, Italy, Sudan and parts of North Africa, including Egypt.<ref name=grubben /> The snake melon is more popular in Arab countries.<ref name=goldman />

Other varieties grown in Africa are bitter, cultivated for their edible seeds.<ref name=grubben />

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.<ref name=beattie />

==Nutrition== For a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, a raw cantaloupe melon provides 34 calories and is a rich source (defined as at least 20% of Daily Value, DV) of both vitamin A and vitamin C; other micronutrients are at a negligible level.<ref name="fdc">{{cite web|url=https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/746770/nutrients|title=Nutrition Facts for 100 g of melon, cantaloupe, raw |publisher=FoodData Central, US Department of Agriculture|date=16 December 2019|access-date=3 January 2025}}</ref> A raw melon is 90% water and 9% carbohydrates, with less than 1% each of protein and fat.<ref name=fdc/>

==Uses== In addition to their consumption when fresh, melons are sometimes dried. 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.<ref>{{cite book |author=National Research Council |title=Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits |url=http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11879 |access-date=2008-07-17 |volume=3 |date=2008-01-25 |publisher=National Academies Press |isbn=978-0-309-10596-5 |doi= 10.17226/11879|chapter=Melon |chapter-url=http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11879&page=135 }}</ref> The Japanese liqueur Midori is flavored with melon.

It was once a frequently cultivated plant in Tonga (''katiu'') as a snack and its flowers used for leis, but has since been extirpated.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Whistler |first=Art |author-link=Arthur Whistler|url=https://www.cepf.net/sites/default/files/sg51070-final-report.pdf |title=The Rare Plants of Tonga |publisher=Tonga Trust Ltd |year=2011 |pages=81-2}}</ref>

== History == There is debate among scholars whether the ''abattiach'' in The Book of Numbers 11:5 refers to a melon or a watermelon.<ref>"We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick" {{Bibleverse|Numbers|11:5|KJV}}</ref> Both types of melon were known in Ancient Egypt and other settled areas. Some botanists consider melons native to the Levant and Egypt, while others place the origin in Persia,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Raghami|first1=Mahmoud|last2=López-Sesé|first2=Ana Isabel|last3=Hasandokht|first3=Mohamad Reza|last4=Zamani|first4=Zabihollah|last5=Moghadam|first5=Mahmoud Reza Fattahi|last6=Kashi|first6=Abdolkarim| date=2014-01-01|title=Genetic diversity among melon accessions from Iran and their relationships with melon germplasm of diverse origins using microsatellite markers |journal=Plant Systematics and Evolution|language=en|volume=300|issue=1|pages=139–151|doi=10.1007/s00606-013-0866-y|issn=1615-6110|quote=Melons or muskmelon are native to Iran and adjacent countries toward the west and east. In fact, ‘Musk’ is a Persian word for a kind of perfume and ‘melon’ is derived from Greek words (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997). The origin of diversity for melon was traditionally believed to be in Africa (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997), although recent molecular systematic studies, suggested that it may be originated from Asia and then reached to Africa (Renner et al. 2007). Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Transcaucasia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan and China (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997) are considered primary diversity centre for melon (Tzitzikas et al. 2009).|doi-access=free|bibcode=2014PSyEv.300..139R |hdl=10261/408207|hdl-access=free}}</ref> India or Central Asia, thus the origin is uncertain. Researchers have shown that seeds and rootstocks were among the goods traded along the caravan routes of the Ancient World.<ref name="swenson" /> 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.<ref name=grubben>{{cite book |last1=Grubben |first1=G. J. H. |title=Vegetables |publisher=PROTA Foundation |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_6jrlyOPfr24C/page/n243 243] |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_6jrlyOPfr24C |access-date=26 August 2019 |ref=grubben243|isbn=9789057821479 |year=2004 }}</ref>

Melon was domesticated in West Asia and over time many cultivars developed with variety in shape and sweetness. Iran, India, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and China became centers for melon production.<ref name=grubben /> Melons were consumed in Ancient Greece and Rome.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ensminger |first1=Marion Eugene |title=Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia, Two Volume Set |publisher=CRC Publisher |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XMA9gYIj-C4C&pg=PA330 |access-date=26 August 2019|isbn=9780849389801 |date=1993-11-09 }}</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed">

File:Cucumis melo 1 (Piotr Kuczynski).jpg|Galia melon File:03-05-JPN202.jpg|Japanese "crown melon" intended as a high-priced gift: The pictured crown melon is 6300 yen, or about {{USD|59}} File:Squeredmelon inside001.jpg|'Squared melon' grown in Atsumi District, Aichi Japan, known as ''kakumero'' File:Armenian cucumbers.jpeg|The Armenian cucumber, despite the name, is actually a type of melon. File:Prokudin-Gorskii-15.jpg|Melon vendor in Samarkand (between 1905 and 1915) File:Shirouri.JPG|Oriental pickling melon File:Muskmelon Seeds.jpg|Muskmelon seeds </gallery>

==See also== {{div col|colwidth=30em}} *Armenian cucumber{{dash}}A cucumber-like variety of melon *Bailan melon *Barattiere{{dash}}A landrace variety of melon found in Southern Italy *Canary melon *Carosello{{dash}}A landrace variety of melon found in Southern Italy *Crane melon *Gaya melon *Hami melon *Korean melon *Melon ball *Melon Day *Montreal melon *Sugar melon *Karit fruit {{div col end}}

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{Commons and category|Cucumis melo|Cucumis melo}} * [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/nexus/Cucumis_melo_nex.html Cucumis melo L.] – Purdue University, Center for New Crops & Plant Products. * [http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Cucumis.html Sorting Cucumis names] – Multilingual multiscript plant name database * [http://www.foodsubs.com/Fruitmel.html Cook's Thesaurus: Melons] – Varietal names and pictures * {{PFAF|Cucumis melo}}

melo Category:Fruits originating in Asia Category:Melons Category:Plants described in 1753 Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Austronesian agriculture