Amelon is any of various plants of the familyCucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshyfruit. It can also specifically refer toCucumis melo, commonly known as the "true melon" or simply "melon". The term "melon" can apply to both the plant and its fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind ofberry, specifically a "pepo". The wordmelon derives fromLatinmelopepo,[1][2] which is thelatinization of theGreekμηλοπέπων (mēlopepōn), meaning "melon",[3] itself a compound ofμῆλον (mēlon), "apple", treefruit (of any kind)"[4] andπέπων (pepōn), amongst others "a kind of gourd or melon".[5] Many differentcultivars have been produced, particularly of the true melon, such as thecantaloupe andhoneydew.
History
Watermelon and melon in India
Melons were thought to have originated in Africa.[6] However, recent studies suggest aSouthwest Asian origin, especiallyIran andIndia;[7][8] from there, they gradually began to appear inEurope toward the end of theWestern Roman Empire. Melons are known to have been grown by the ancient Egyptians. However, recent discoveries of melon seeds dated between 1350 and 1120BCE in Nuragic sacred wells have shown that melons were first brought to Europe by theNuragic civilization of Sardinia during theBronze Age.[9] Melons were among the earliest plants to be domesticated in theOld World and among the first crop species brought by westerners to theNew World.[10] Early European settlers in the New World are recorded as growinghoneydew andcasaba melons as early as the 1600s.[11] A number of Native American tribes in New Mexico, including the Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Navajo, Santo Domingo and San Felipe, maintain a tradition of growing their own characteristic melon cultivars, derived from melons originally introduced by the Spanish. Organizations likeNative Seeds/SEARCH have made an effort to collect and preserve these and other heritage seeds.[12]
Melons by genus
Horned melonHoneydew
Benincasa
Winter melon[note 1] (B. hispida) is the only member of the genusBenincasa. The mature winter melon is a cooking vegetable that is widely used inAsia, especially inIndia. The immature melons are used as a culinary fruit (e.g., to make a distinctive fruit drink).
Citron melon (C. amarus) closely resembles the watermelon, but has harder, whiter flesh. It is often cooked or preserved rather than being eaten raw. It is native tosub-Saharan Africa.
Colocynth (C. colocynthis) is a wild melon, similar in appearance to the watermelon. The flesh is inedible, but the seeds are a valuable food source inAfrica.[13] Other species that have the same culinary role, and that are also called egusi includeMelothria sphaerocarpa (syn.Cucumeropsis mannii) andLagenaria siceraria.[14]
Watermelon (C. lanatus) originated in Africa, where evidence indicates that it has been cultivated for over 4,000 years.[15] It is a popular summer fruit in all parts of the world.[16]
Cucumis
Painted green melons.Chennai, India, 2010Slice of cantaloupe melonArgos melon
Melons in genusCucumis are culinary fruits, and include the majority of culinary melons. All but a handful of culinary melon varieties belong to the speciesCucumis melo L.
C. melo cantalupensis, with skin that is rough and warty, not netted.
The Europeancantaloupe, with lightly ribbed, pale green skin, was domesticated in the 18th century, inCantalupo in Sabina,Italy, by thepope's gardener. It is also known as a 'rockmelon' in Australia and New Zealand. Varieties include the FrenchCharentais and theBurpee Seeds hybridNetted Gem, introduced in the 19th century.[18] TheYubari King is a highly prized Japanese cantaloupecultivar.
ThePersian melon resemble a large cantaloupe with a darker greenrind and a finer netting.[19]
C. melo inodorus, casabas, honeydew, and Asian melons
Argos, a large, oblong, with orange wrinkled skin, orange flesh, strong aroma. A characteristic is its pointed ends. Growing in some areas of Greece, from which it gets its name.
Banana melon, an heirloom variety with salmon-colored flesh and an elongated banana shape and yellow rind
Canary melon, a large, bright-yellow melon with a pale green to white inner flesh.
Casaba, bright yellow, with a smooth, furrowed skin. Less flavorful than other melons, but keeps longer.[20]
Honeydew, with a sweet, juicy, green-colored flesh. Grown asbailan melon inLanzhou,China. There is a second variety which has yellow skin, white flesh and tastes like a moist pear.
Honeymoon melon, a variety of honeydew with golden rind and bright green flesh and a sweet flavor
Kajari melon, a sweet honeydew cultivar that is red-orange in color with green stripes reminiscent of abeach ball
Korean melon, a yellow melon with white lines running across the fruit and white inside. Can be crisp and slightly sweet or juicy when left to ripen longer.
Tiger melon, an orange, yellow and black striped melon fromTurkey with a soft pulp.[24]
C. melo reticulatus, true muskmelons, with netted (reticulated) skin.
North American cantaloupe, distinct from the European cantaloupe, with the net-like skin pattern common to otherC. melo reticulatus varieties.[25]
Galia (or Ogen), small and very juicy with either faint green or rosy pink flesh.[19]
Sharlyn melons, with taste between honeydew and cantaloupes, netted skin, greenish-orange rind, and white flesh.[26][self-published source?]
C. melo agrestis, Wilder melon cultivars, with smooth skin, and tart or bland taste. Often confused withcucumbers (Dosakai, Lemon Cucumber, Pie Melons).[27]
C. melo conomon, Conomon Melons, Pickling Melons, with smooth skin, and ranging from tart or bland taste (pickling melon) to mild sweetness in Korean Melon.Oriental Pickling melon, Korean Melon. Closely related to wilder melons (C Melo Var Agrestis).[28]
Modern crossbred varieties, e.g. Crenshaw (Casaba × Persian), Crane (Japanese × N.A. cantaloupe).
In 2018, world production of melons was 27 milliontonnes, led byChina with 46% of the total (table).Turkey,Iran, andIndia each produced more than 1 million tonnes.[29]
^The new Oxford book of food plants. Oxford University Press. 2009. p. 134.ISBN978-0-19-954946-7.
^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.Bibcode:2014PSyEv.300..139R.doi:10.1007/s00606-013-0866-y.hdl:10261/408207.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).Two formal infraspecific taxa within C. melo were recognized by Kirkbri
^"Growing Melons". 2012-04-03. Archived fromthe original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved2019-05-25.Melons are believed to have originated in the hot valleys of southwest Asia—specifically Iran (Persia) and India.
^Zohary, Daniel; Hopf, Maria; Weiss, Ehud (2012).Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Domesticated Plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin (Fourth ed.). Oxford: University Press. p. 193.ISBN9780199549061.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
^"Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai".Grassland Species Profiles.FAO.
^G.N. Njorogo; M.N. van Luijk (2004)."Momordica". In G.J.H. Grubben; O.H. Denton (eds.).Plant Resources of Tropical Africa: Vegetables. Wageningen, Netherlands:PROTA Foundation. p. 248.ISBN90-5782-147-8. Retrieved2014-10-20.
^Jac G. Constant (1986).The Complete Book of Fruit: an illustrated guide to over 400 species and varieties of fruit from all over the world. Admiral. p. 35.ISBN1-85171-049-3.
Magness, J.R.; Markle, G.M.; Compton, C.C. (1971). "Food and feed crops of the United States".IR Bulletin.1 (828). New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.OL14117370M. Interregional Research Project IR-4
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