Cucumis melo agrestis
| Cucumis melo | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 10 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cucumis melo agrestis (common name: wild melon)
Propagation: Seed - sow early to mid spring in a greenhouse in a rich soil. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin out to the best plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts, giving them cloche or frame protection for at least their first few weeks if you are trying them outdoors.
Cultivation: Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a warm, very sunny position[1].
A frost-tender annual plant, this form of the melon is closest to the wild species. The fruit has a bitter flavour but the plant is of potential value in breeding programmes.
Grows well with corn and sunflowers but dislikes potatoes[2][3]. The weeds fat hen and sow thistle improve the growth and cropping of melons[3].
Range: Probably native of Asia, though it has been in cultivation for so long its native habitat is obscure
Habitat: Naturalized in many areas of the world, though it is not known in a truly wild location. It is a weed of cultivated fields in Turkey[4], probably as an escape from gardens.
Edibility: Fruit - raw[5][6][7][8]. A bitter flavour[9]. The ripe fruit can be eaten raw, whilst the immature fruits are cooked as a vegetable[10].
Seed - raw[11][12][8]. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[K]. The seed contains between 12.5 - 39.1% oil[13].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[8][9].
Medicinal: The fruits can be used as a cooling light cleanser or moisturiser for the skin[3]. They are also used as a first aid treatment for burns and abrasions[3].
The flowers are expectorant and emetic[13].
The fruit is stomachic[13].
The seed is antitussive, digestive, febrifuge and vermifuge[13]. When used as a vermifuge, the whole seed complete with the seed coat is ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purge in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body[14].
The root is diuretic and emetic[13].
A paste of the plant is applied as a poultice around the naval when there is difficulty in urinating[10].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Known Hazards: The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[15].
Links
References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ Davis, Peter. Flora of Turkey. Edinburgh University Press, 1965.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Organ, John. Gourds. Faber, 1963.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.