Cucumis melo flexuosus
| 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 flexuosus (common name: serpent 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, the serpent melon is sometimes cultivated in gardens and commercially, especially in warmer climates than Britain, for its edible fruit. Some varieties may succeed outdoors in Britain in hot summers but in general it is best to grow melons under protection in this country[2][1].
Grows well with corn and sunflowers but dislikes potatoes[3][4]. The weeds fat hen and sow thistle improve the growth and cropping of melons[4].
Range: Probably native of Asia, though it has been in cultivation for so long its native habitat is obscure
Habitat: Derived through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location.
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[5]. The fruits can be more than 1 metre long. They have a flavour rather like cucumber and are very refreshing when eaten raw in hot weather[5]. They can also be added to curries, cooked, preserves or pickled[5].
Seed - raw[6][7][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[9].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[8][5].
Medicinal: The fruits can be used as a cooling light cleanser or moisturiser for the skin[4]. They are also used as a first aid treatment for burns and abrasions[4].
The flowers are expectorant and emetic[9].
The fruit is stomachic[9].
The seed is antitussive, digestive, febrifuge and vermifuge[9]. 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[10].
The root is diuretic and emetic[9].
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[11].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Allardice, Pamela. A-Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers, 1993.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Organ, John. Gourds. Faber, 1963.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 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.