| Horned melon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cucumis metuliferus fruits | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Cucumis |
| Species: | C. metuliferus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cucumis metuliferus | |
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Energy | 183 kJ (44 kcal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.56 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.26 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.78 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water | 88.97 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[1] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from theNational Academies.[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cucumis metuliferus, also known as theAfrican horned cucumber (shortened tohorned cucumber),horned melon,spiked melon,jelly melon, orkiwano, is an annualvine in thecucumber and melon familyCucurbitaceae. Its fruit hashorn-likespines, hence the name "horned melon". The ripe fruit has orange skin and lime-green, soft flesh.Cucumis metuliferus is native toSouthern Africa,[3][4] in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Angola.
Kiwano is a traditional food plant in Africa. Along with the gemsbok cucumber (Acanthosicyos naudinianus) andtsamma (citron melon), it is one of the few sources of water during the dry season in theKalahari Desert.[5][6] In northern Zimbabwe, it is calledgaka orgakachika,[7] and is primarily used as a snack or salad, and rarely for decoration. It can be eaten at any stage of ripening.
C. metuliferus may be used as arootstock (via grafting) for melon to prevent both growth reduction and a strongnematode buildup inM. incognita-infested soil.[8]
The fruit's taste has been compared to a combination of banana andpassionfruit,[9] cucumber and zucchini[4] or a combination of banana, cucumber andlime.[10] A small amount of salt or sugar can increase the flavor, but the seed content can make eating the fruit less convenient than many common fruits.
Some also eat the peel, which is very rich invitamin C anddietary fiber.[11]
Germination is optimal between 20–35 °C (68–95 °F); is delayed at 12 °C (54 °F) andseed stratification is totally inhibited; and is greatly inhibited above 35 °C (95 °F).Salinity increases the time required for full germination. Thesowing dates greatly influence fruit yield andflowering.[12]
Kiwano is resistant to severalroot-knot nematodes; twoaccessions were found to be highly resistant towatermelon mosaic virus, but very sensitive to thesquash mosaic virus. Some accessions were found to succumb toFusarium wilt. Resistance togreenhouse whitefly was reported. Kiwano was reported to be resistant topowdery mildew, but in Israel, powdery mildew and squash mosaic virus attacked kiwano fields and control measures had to be taken.[13]
During 28 days of development on the plant, fresh weight,electrical conductivity andtitratable acidity of fruits do not change,pH rises and then falls, and concentrations ofreducing sugars andtotal soluble solids increase. In the same period,peel colour changes from green through whitish green to yellow and finally to orange, and thepigment profile shows a decline in pigments absorbing at 431 and 663 nm, and a rapid increase in those absorbing at 442 and 470 nm.[14]
Media related toCucumis metuliferus at Wikimedia Commons| Benincasa |
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| Citrullus |
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| Cucumis |
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| See also |
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