Common Name: Wild Melon

General Information

Cucumis melo agrestis is a climbing annual plant, producing stems around 1.5 metres long that sprawl along the ground or into other plants where they attach themselves by means of tendrils.
This is the wild form of the melon, and is not usually grown for its fruit, which has a bitter flavour. However, the plant is of potential value in breeding programmes.

Known Hazards

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[].

Botanical References

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[], probably as an escape from gardens.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual Climber
Height	1.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Melons are cultivated from the warm temperate zone through to the tropics, where they can be grown at elevations up to 1,000 metres. They grow best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 30°c, but can tolerate 9 - 35°c[]. They are killed by frost[]. They prefer a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 1,300mm, but tolerate 900 - 2,500mm[]. They grow best in areas without too much rainfall or too high a humidity, since these conditions reduce fertilization and lead to diseases of the leaves[].
Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a warm, very sunny position[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7.5, tolerating 5 - 8.7[].
It takes 3 - 4 months to produce a crop from seed[].
Individual plants are usually allowed to bear about four melons, and a crop of melons should yield about 5 - 30 tonnes/ha, with an average about 11 - 13 tonnes/ha[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[, , , ]. A bitter flavour[]. The ripe fruit can be eaten raw, whilst the immature fruits are cooked as a vegetable[].

Seed - raw[, , ]. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[]. The seed contains between 12.5 - 39.1% oil[].

An edible oil is obtained from the seed[, ].

Medicinal

The fruits can be used as a cooling light cleanser or moisturiser for the skin[]. They are also used as a first aid treatment for burns and abrasions[].

The flowers are expectorant and emetic[].

The fruit is stomachic[].

The seed is antitussive, digestive, febrifuge and vermifuge[]. 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[].

The root is diuretic and emetic[].

A paste of the plant is applied as a poultice around the naval when there is difficulty in urinating[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Grows well with corn and sunflowers but dislikes potatoes[, ]. The weeds fat hen and sow thistle improve the growth and cropping of melons[].

Other Uses

In a trial, a methane extract of the fruit at a concentration of 10,000ppm in distilled water reduced the egg hatching of root nematodes by 99% after 21 days compared with a control[].

This form of the melon is of potential value in breeding programmes for conferring disease resistance.

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.