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 asmelon,[2][3] is a species ofCucumis that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. The fruit is apepo. The flesh is either sweet or bland, with or without an aroma, and the rind can be smooth (such ashoneydew), ribbed (such as Europeancantaloupe), wrinkled (such asCasaba melon), or netted (such as Americancantaloupe). The species is sometimes referred to asmuskmelon.[4] 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.[5][6]
The origin of melons is not known. Research has revealed that seeds androotstocks 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; in modern times, wild melons can still be found in some African countries.[9]
The melon is anannual, trailing herb.[8] It grows well in subtropical or warm, temperate climates.[9] It can be found as a weed around sites of recently built airports inAmerican Samoa.[10]
Melons aremonoecious orandromonoecious plants.[12] They do not cross withwatermelon,cucumber,pumpkin, orsquash, but varieties within the species intercross frequently.[13]The genome ofCucumis melo was first sequenced in 2012.[14] Some authors treatC. melo as having two subspecies,C. melo agrestis andC. 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) includeC. 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 andmakuwa (Oriental melon).
Not all varieties are sweet melons. Thesnake melon, also called the Armenian cucumber and Serpent cucumber, is a non-sweet melon found throughout Asia from Turkey to Japan.[15][9] It is similar to acucumber in taste and appearance.[16] 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.[16]
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.[11]
In addition to their consumption when fresh, melons are sometimesdried. 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.[18] TheJapaneseliqueurMidori is flavored with melon.
It was once a frequently cultivated plant inTonga (katiu) as a snack and its flowers used forleis, but has since been extirpated.[19]
There is debate among scholars whether theabattiach inThe Book of Numbers 11:5 refers to a melon or awatermelon.[20] Both types of melon were known inAncient Egypt and other settled areas. Some botanists consider melons native to theLevant and Egypt, while others place the origin inPersia,[21] India or Central Asia, thus the origin is uncertain. Researchers have shown that seeds androotstocks 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 manycultivars developed with variety in shape and sweetness. Iran, India, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and China became centers for melon production.[9] Melons were consumed in Ancient Greece and Rome.[22]
^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.Bibcode:2014PSyEv.300..139R.doi:10.1007/s00606-013-0866-y.ISSN1615-6110.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).
^"We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and thegarlick"Numbers 11:5
^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.Bibcode:2014PSyEv.300..139R.doi:10.1007/s00606-013-0866-y.ISSN1615-6110.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).
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