Cucumis melo

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Cucumis melo
Muskmelon.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Cucumis
Species:
C. melo
Binomial name
Cucumis melo
L.
Synonyms [1]
List
    • Cucumis acidusJacq.
    • Cucumis agrestis(Naudin) Greb. nom. inval.
    • Cucumis albaNakai
    • Cucumis ambiguusFenzl ex Hook.f. nom. inval.
    • Cucumis arenariusSchumach. & Thonn.
    • Cucumis aromaticusRoyle
    • Cucumis bardanusFenzl ex Naudin nom. inval.
    • Cucumis bisexualisA.M.Lu & G.C.Wang
    • Cucumis callosus(Rottler) Cogn.
    • Cucumis campechianusKunth
    • Cucumis cantalupensisHaberle ex M.Roem. nom. illeg.
    • Cucumis cantalupoRchb.
    • Cucumis chateHasselq.
    • Cucumis chateL.
    • Cucumis chinensis(Pangalo) Pangalo
    • Cucumis chitoC.Morren
    • Cucumis cicatrisatusStocks
    • Cucumis cognataFenzl ex Hook.f. nom. inval.
    • Cucumis conomonThunb.
    • Cucumis cubensisSchrad.
    • Cucumis deliciosusSalisb. nom. illeg.
    • Cucumis dudaimL.
    • Cucumis eriocarpusBoiss. & Noë
    • Cucumis erivanicusSteud. nom. inval.
    • Cucumis flexuosusL.
    • Cucumis jamaicensisBertero ex Spreng.
    • Cucumis jucundaF.Muell.
    • Cucumis laevigatusChiov.
    • Cucumis maculatusWilld.
    • Cucumis microcarpus(Alef.) Pangalo
    • Cucumis microspermaNakai
    • Cucumis microspermusNakai
    • Cucumis momordicaRoxb.
    • Cucumis moschatusGray nom. illeg.
    • Cucumis odoratissimusMoench nom. illeg.
    • Cucumis odoratissimusW.M.Carp. & Riddell nom. illeg.
    • Cucumis officinarum-meloCrantz
    • Cucumis orientalisKudr.
    • Cucumis pancherianusNaudin
    • Cucumis pedatifidusSchrad.
    • Cucumis persicodorusSeitz
    • Cucumis persicus(Sarg.) M.Roem.
    • Cucumis pictusJacq.
    • Cucumis princepsWender.
    • Cucumis pseudocolocynthisRoyle
    • Cucumis pseudocolocynthisWender.
    • Cucumis pubescensWilld.
    • Cucumis pyriformisRoxb. ex Wight & Arn. nom. inval.
    • Cucumis reflexusZeyh. ex Ser. nom. inval.
    • Cucumis reginaeSchrad.
    • Cucumis schraderianusM.Roem.
    • Cucumis serotinusHaberle ex Seitz
    • Cucumis trigonusRoxb.
    • Cucumis turbinatusRoxb.
    • Cucumis umbilicatusSalisb. nom. illeg.
    • Cucumis utilissimusRoxb.
    • Cucumis villosusBoiss. & Noë nom. inval.
    • Cucurbita asperaSol. ex G.Forst. nom. inval.
    • Ecballium lambertianumM.Roem.
    • Melo adana(Pangalo) Pangalo
    • Melo adzhurPangalo
    • Melo agrestis(Naudin) Pangalo
    • Melo ameriPangalo
    • Melo cantalupensis(Naudin) Pangalo
    • Melo cassabaPangalo
    • Melo chandalakPangalo
    • Melo chinensisPangalo
    • Melo conomonPangalo
    • Melo dudaim(L.) Sageret
    • Melo figariPangalo
    • Melo flexuosus(L.) Pangalo
    • Melo microcarpus(Alef.) Pangalo
    • Melo monoclinusPangalo
    • Melo orientalis(Kudr.) Nabiev
    • Melo persicusSageret
    • Melo sativusSageret
    • Melo vulgarisMoench ex Cogn.
    • Melo zardPangalo
    • Melo × ambiguuaPangalo

Cucumis melo, also known as melon, [2] [3] 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 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, [4] and cantaloupe usually refers to the former type. [5] However, muskmelon in a narrow sense only refers to the musky netted-rind type, also known as North American cantaloupe, while the true cantaloupe is the European type with ribbed and often warty rind that is seldom grown in North America. [6]

Contents

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, [7] India or Central Asia. [8] Still others support an African origin, and in modern times wild melons can still be found in some African countries. [9]

Background

The melon is an annual, trailing herb. [8] It grows well in subtropical or warm, temperate climates. [9] Melons prefer warm, well-fertilized soil with good drainage that is rich in nutrients, [8] 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. [10] Insects attracted to melons include the cucumber beetle, melon aphid, melonworm moth and the pickleworm. [10]

Genetics

Genomic information
NCBI genome ID 10697
Ploidy diploid
Genome size 374.77 Mb
Number of chromosomes 12
Year of completion 2012

Melons are monoecious plants. They do not cross with watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, or squash, but varieties within the species intercross frequently. [11] The genome of Cucumis melo was first sequenced in 2012. [12] 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. [13] [9] It is similar to a cucumber in taste and appearance. [14] Outside Asia, snake melons are grown in the United States, Italy, Sudan and parts of North Africa, including Egypt. [9] The snake melon is more popular in Arab countries. [14]

Other varieties grown in Africa are bitter, cultivated for their edible seeds. [9]

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. [10]

Nutrition

Per 100 gram serving, cantaloupe melons provide 34 calories and are a rich source (defined as at least 20% of daily value, or DV) of both vitamin A (68% DV) and vitamin C (61% DV). Other nutrients are at a negligible level. [15] Melons are 90% water and 9% carbohydrates, with less than 1% each of protein and fat. [15]

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. [16] The Japanese liqueur Midori 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. [17] 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, [18] 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. [8] 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. [9]

Melon was domesticated in West Asia and over time many cultivars developed with variety in shape and sweetness. Iran, India, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and China become centers for melon production. [9] Melons were consumed in Ancient Greece and Rome. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cantaloupe</span> Variety of melon

The cantaloupe is a type of true melon from the family Cucurbitaceae. Originally, cantaloupe referred only to the non-netted, orange-fleshed melons of Europe, but today may refer to any orange-fleshed melon of the C. melo species, including the netted muskmelon which is called cantaloupe in North America, rockmelon in Australia and New Zealand, and spanspek in Southern Africa. Cantaloupes range in mass from 0.5 to 5 kilograms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cucumber</span> Species of flowering plant that produces cucumbers

The cucumber is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables. Considered an annual plant, there are three main types of cucumber—slicing, pickling, and seedless—within which several cultivars have been created. The cucumber originates from the Himalayas, China, and Northern Thailand, but now grows on most continents, and many different types of cucumber are grown commercially and traded on the global market. In North America, the term wild cucumber refers to plants in the genera Echinocystis and Marah, though the two are not closely related.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melon</span> Type of fruit

A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The word melon derives from Latin melopepo, which is the latinization of the Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopepōn), meaning "melon", itself a compound of μῆλον (mēlon), "apple", treefruit " and πέπων (pepōn), amongst others "a kind of gourd or melon". Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of cantaloupes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montreal melon</span> Variety of fruit

The Montreal melon, also known as the Montreal market muskmelon or the Montreal nutmeg melon, is a variety of melon recently rediscovered and cultivated in the Montreal, Quebec, Canada, area.

<i>Cucumis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Cucumis is a genus of twining, tendril-bearing plants in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes the cucumber, true melons, the horned melon, and the West Indian gherkin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armenian cucumber</span> Vegetable

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 true melon, a species closely related to the cucumber. It is also known as the yard-long cucumber, snake cucumber, snake melon, chanbar in Persian, tirozî in Kurdish, sheng in Semnani, uri in Japanese, acur in Turkish, kakadee in Hindi, tar in Punjabi, طرح in Arabic, commarella or tortarello in Italian. It should not be confused with the snake gourds. The skin is very thin, light green, and bumpless. It has no bitterness and the fruit is almost always used without peeling. It is also sometimes called a gutah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honeydew (melon)</span> Melon cultivar

The honeydew melon is one of the two main cultivar types in Cucumis melo Inodorus Group. It is characterized by the smooth rind and lack of musky odor. The other main type in the Inodorus Group is the wrinkle-rind casaba melon.

<i>Solanum muricatum</i> Species of plant

Solanum muricatum is a species of evergreen shrub native to South America and grown for its sweet edible fruit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hami melon</span> Melon cultivar

The Hami melon is an umbrella term for sweet melon varieties from Xinjiang, China, especially from Hami. It is also referred to as the Chinese Hami melon or the snow melon. The outer color is generally white through pink or yellow through green. The inside flesh is sweet and crisp.

<i>Didymella bryoniae</i> Species of fungus

Didymella bryoniae, syn. Mycosphaerella melonis, is an ascomycete fungal plant pathogen that causes gummy stem blight on the family Cucurbitaceae, which includes cantaloupe, cucumber, muskmelon and watermelon plants. The anamorph/asexual stage for this fungus is called Phoma cucurbitacearum. When this pathogen infects the fruit of cucurbits it is called black rot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Claus melon</span> Variety of fruit

The Santa Claus melon, sometimes known as Christmas melon or Piel de Sapo, is a variety of melon originating in Spain that grows to about a foot in length and is ovoid in shape. It has a thick, green-striped outer rind and pale green to white inner flesh with a mild melon flavour and sweetness close to honeydew melons.

<i>Melothria scabra</i> Species of flowering plant

Melothria scabra, commonly known as the cucamelon, Mexican miniature watermelon, Mexican sour cucumber, Mexican sour gherkin, mouse melon, or pepquinos, is a species of flowering plant in the cucurbit family grown for its edible fruit. Its native range spans Mexico to Venezuela. Cucumis melo Agrestis and Cucumis callosus is cultivated as Chibber Fruit or Kachri in South Asia and can also grow as weed. Fruits are about the size of grapes and taste like cucumbers with a tinge of sourness. It may have been eaten by indigenous peoples before the European colonization of the Americas began.

The Jenny Lind melon is an heirloom cantaloupe first introduced in the 1840s. Unlike most other types of cantaloupe, its flesh is light green, rather than orange. A typical fruit weights between one and two pounds, and has a distinct knob, often known as a turban, on one end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yubari King</span> Cantaloupe cultivar

The Yubari King is a cantaloupe cultivar farmed in greenhouses in Yūbari, Hokkaido, a small city close to Sapporo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watermelon</span> Large gourd fruit with a smooth hard rind

Watermelon 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 varieties.

Kil'ayim are the prohibitions in Jewish law which proscribe the planting of certain mixtures of seeds, grafting, the mixing of plants in vineyards, the crossbreeding of animals, the formation of a team in which different kinds of animals work together, and the mixing of wool with linen in garments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental melon</span> Melon cultivar

The oriental melon, is a group of Cucumis melo cultivars that are produced in East Asia. Phylogenetic studies tracing the genetic lineage of the plant suggest that it may have originated in eastern India, having then spread to China over the Silk Road, from which it was introduced to Korea and Japan. Its flavour has been described as a cross between a honeydew melon and a cucumber. It is noticeably less sweet than Western varieties of melon, and consists of about 90% water. The fruits are commonly eaten fresh; with its thin rind and small seeds, the melon can be eaten whole.

<i>Melon necrotic spot virus</i> Species of virus

Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV) is a virus that belongs to the genus Gammacarmovirus of the family Tombusviridae. It has been observed in several countries of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is considered to be an endemic virus in greenhouses and field productions of Cucurbitaceae crops, including melon, cucumber, and watermelon. MNSV is mainly spread through infected soil, seedlings, insects, and by the root-inhabiting fungus vector Olpidium bornovanus. Symptoms vary between Curbitaceae crops, but generally consist of chlorosis, brown necrotic lesions, leaf wilt, fruit decay, and plant death. Management of the disease consists of preventing infection by rotating fields and crops, steam sterilization, and disposal of infected plants. Also, treated seeds with heat or chemicals are efficient in preventing infection. MNSV is important in melon plants as it causes vast economical damage worldwide reducing significant yields.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carosello (melon)</span> Variety of muskmelon

The carosello is a landrace variety of melon found in Southern Italy. It is common in the Apulia region of Italy.

References

  1. The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species , retrieved 23 January 2016
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  4. "Definition of muskmelon". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  5. "Definition of cantaloupe". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  6. "Melon". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  7. Raghami, Mahmoud; López-Sesé, Ana Isabel; Hasandokht, Mohamad Reza; Zamani, Zabihollah; Moghadam, Mahmoud Reza Fattahi; Kashi, Abdolkarim (2014-01-01). "Genetic diversity among melon accessions from Iran and their relationships with melon germplasm of diverse origins using microsatellite markers". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 300 (1): 139–151. doi: 10.1007/s00606-013-0866-y . ISSN   1615-6110. 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).
  8. 1 2 3 4 Swenson, Allan A. (1995). Plants of the Bible: And How to Grow Them. Citadel Press. p. 77. ISBN   9780806516158 . Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Grubben, G. J. H. (2004). Vegetables. PROTA Foundation. p.  243. ISBN   9789057821479 . Retrieved 26 August 2019.
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  14. 1 2 Goldman, Amy (January 2002). Melons: For the Passionate Grower. Artisan Books. p. 112. ISBN   9781579652135 . Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  15. 1 2 "Nutrition Facts for 100 g of melons, cantaloupe, raw [includes USDA commodity food A415]". Conde Nast for the USDA National Nutrient Database, version SR-21. 2014.
  16. National Research Council (2008-01-25). "Melon". Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits. Lost Crops of Africa. Vol. 3. National Academies Press. doi:10.17226/11879. ISBN   978-0-309-10596-5 . Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  17. "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" Numbers 11:5
  18. Raghami, Mahmoud; López-Sesé, Ana Isabel; Hasandokht, Mohamad Reza; Zamani, Zabihollah; Moghadam, Mahmoud Reza Fattahi; Kashi, Abdolkarim (2014-01-01). "Genetic diversity among melon accessions from Iran and their relationships with melon germplasm of diverse origins using microsatellite markers". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 300 (1): 139–151. doi: 10.1007/s00606-013-0866-y . ISSN   1615-6110. 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).
  19. Ensminger, Marion Eugene (1993-11-09). Foods & Nutrition Encyclopedia, Two Volume Set. CRC Publisher. ISBN   9780849389801 . Retrieved 26 August 2019.