Cucumis melo information from NPGS/GRIN

United States Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville Area
Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN)



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Taxon: Cucumis melo L.

Genus: Cucumis subgenus: Cucumis section: Cucumis
Family: Cucurbitaceae tribe: Benincaseae.
Nomen number: 404410
Place of publication: Sp. pl. 2:1011. 1753
Typification: View record from Linnaean Plant Name Typification Project of the Natural History Museum of London.
Name verified on: 06-Feb-1996 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 20-Apr-2009
Species priority site is: North Central Regional PI Station (NC7).
Accessions: 104 in National Plant Germplasm System.

Common names:

Armenian cucumber (Source: Food Feed Crops US ) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. flexuosus]
cantaloupe (Source: Cucurb.Gen.C. 14:43. [as C. melo var. cantalupensis]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
casaba melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Inodorus Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. inodorus]
dudaim melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Dudaim Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. dudaim]
garden-lemon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Chito Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
honeydew melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Inodorus Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. inodorus]
mango melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Chito Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
melon (Source: BSBI ) – English
melon (Source: World Econ Pl ) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
melon-apple (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Chito Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
muskmelon (Source: Cucurb.Gen.C. 14:43. [as C. melo var. cantalupensis]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
netted melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Reticulatus Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
nutmeg melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Reticulatus Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
orange melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Chito Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
Oriental pickling melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Conomon Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
Persian melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Reticulatus Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
phoot (Source: Zander Ency ) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. momordica]
pickling melon (Source: Cucurb.Gen.C. 14:44.) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
pomegranate melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Dudaim Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. dudaim]
Queen Anne's pocket melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Dudaim Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. dudaim]
serpent melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Flexuosus Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. flexuosus]
snake cucumber (Source: Herbs Commerce ed2 ) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
snake melon (Source: Cucurb.Gen.C. 14:44.) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. flexuosus]
snap melon (Source: Cucurb.Gen.C. 14:44.) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. momordica]
stink melon (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Dudaim Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. dudaim]
sweet melon (Source: Cucurb.Gen.C. 14:44.) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
ulcardo melon (Source: Aust Pl Common Names ) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis]
vegetable-orange (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Chito Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
vine-peach (Source: Hortus 3 [as C. melo Chito Group]) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
winter melon (Source: Cucurb.Gen.C. 14:44.) – English [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. inodorus]
cai gua (Source: F ChinaEng ) – Transcribed Chinese [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
tian gua (Source: F ChinaEng ) – Transcribed Chinese [Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
rock melon (Source: Econ Pl Aust [as C. melo var. cantalupensis]) – English (Australia) [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
mélon (Source: Dict Rehm [as C. melo var. cantalupensis]) – French [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
Apfel-Melone (Source: Zander Ency [as C. melo Chito Group]) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
armenische Melone (Source: Zander Ency [as C. melo Flexuosus Group]) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. flexuosus]
Gemüse-Melone (Source: Zander Ency [as C. melo Conomon Group]) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
Honig-Melone (Source: Zander Ency [as C. melo Inodorus Group]) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. inodorus]
Kantalupe (Source: Zander Ency [as C. melo Cantalupensis Group]) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
Melone (Source: Zander Ency ) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
Melone (Source: Zander Ency ) – German
Orangen-Melone (Source: Zander Ency [as C. melo Chito Group]) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
Schnapp-Melone (Source: Zander Ency ) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. momordica]
Zier-Melone (Source: Zander Ency [as C. melo Dudaim Group]) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. dudaim]
Zuckermelone (Source: Dict Rehm [as C. melo var. cantalupensis]) – German [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
phut (Source: Gen Res Cr Ev 44:258) – India [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. momordica]
melone (Source: Mult Glossary Crops ) – Italian [Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
meron (Source: F Japan ) – Japanese Rōmaji [Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
shirō-uri (Source: F Japan [as C. melo var. utilissimus]) – Japanese Rōmaji [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
tsuke-uri (Source: F Japan [as C. melo var. utilissimus]) – Japanese Rōmaji [Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
chamoe (Source: Kulturpflanze 34:93.) – Transcribed Korean [Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
melão (Source: Dict Rehm [as C. melo var. cantalupensis]) – Portuguese [Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
melon (Source: Vara kulturvaxt namn ) – Swedish [Cucumis melo subsp. melo]

Economic importance:

View ethnobotanical data from Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

Distributional range:

Native:

AFRICA
Northeast Tropical Africa: Chad; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Somalia; Sudan
East Tropical Africa: Tanzania; Uganda
West Tropical Africa: Benin; Cote D'Ivoire; Ghana; Niger; Senegal
South Tropical Africa: Malawi; Mozambique; Zimbabwe
Southern Africa: South Africa
Western Indian Ocean: Seychelles
ASIA-TEMPERATE
Arabian Peninsula: Oman; Saudi Arabia; Yemen
Western Asia: Iran
China: China
Eastern Asia: Japan; Korea
ASIA-TROPICAL
Indian Subcontinent: India; Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka
North Indian Ocean: Maldives
Indo-China: Myanmar; Thailand
Malesia: Indonesia; Papua New Guinea; Philippines
AUSTRALASIA
Australia: Australia
PACIFIC
Northwestern Pacific: Guam
Southwestern Pacific: Samoa; Solomon Islands; Tonga

Naturalized:

widely naturalized in tropics

Cultivated:

cultivated worldwide

Other:

exact native range obscure

References:

PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Afonin, A. N., S. L. Greene, N. I. Dzyubenko, & A. N. Frolov, eds. Interactive agricultural ecological atlas of Russia and neighboring countries. Economic plants and their diseases, pests and weeds (on-line resource).
Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. 2009. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin).
Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
De Wilde, W. J. J. O. & B. E. E. Duyfjes. 2007. The wild species of Cucumis L. (Cucurbitaceae) in South-East Asia. Adansonia sér. 3, 29:26.
Decker-Walters, D. S. et al. 2002. The origin and genetic affinities of wild populations of melon (Cucumis melo, Cucurbitaceae) in North America. Pl. Syst. Evol. 233:183–197.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs.
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen.
Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960–. Flora zambesiaca.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Gómez-Pompa, A. & V. Sosa, eds. 1978–. Flora de Veracruz.
Hnatiuk, R. J. 1990. Census of Australian vascular plants. Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11.
International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993–. Flora of Japan.
Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae). 79.
Liogier, A. H. 1981–. Flora of Hispaniola: Part 1; La Flora de la Española. Part II-.
Liogier, H. A. 1984–. Descriptive flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands.
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2.
McVaugh, R. 1983–. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:93.
Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics.
Schaefer, H. 2007. Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) must include Cucumella, Dicoelospermum, Mukia, Myrmecosicyos, and Oreosyce: a recircumscription based on nuclear and plastid DNA data. Blumea 52:167.
Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). 8:153.
Steenis, C. G. G. J. van, ed. 1948–. Flora malesiana.
Telford, I. R. H. et al. 2011. Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) in Australia and eastern Malesia, including newsly recognized species and the sister species to C. melo. Syst. Bot. 36:376–389. [native to Australia].
Turner, B. L. et al. 2003. Atlas of the vascular plants of Texas. Sida Botanical Miscellany no. 24.
Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952–. Flora of tropical East Africa.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994–. Flora of China (English edition).
Wunderlin, R. & B. Hansen. Atlas of Florida vascular plants (on-line resource).

More:

Search AGRICOLA article citation database for citations referencing Cucumis melo.

Search NCBI's Entrez search engine for PubMed citations referencing Cucumis melo.

Search Biodiversity Heritage Library for historical publications referencing Cucumis melo.

Synonyms:

Bryonia collosa Rottler [= Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
Cucumis chito C. Morren [≡ Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. chito]
(previously associated with 1 accession)
Cucumis collosus (Rottler) Cogn. [= Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
(previously associated with 18 accessions)
Cucumis dudaim L. [≡ Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. dudaim]
(=) Cucumis dudaim var. aegyptiacus Sickenb.
Cucumis flexuosus L. [≡ Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. flexuosus]
(=) Cucumis melo var. acidulus Naudin
(previously associated with 1 accession)
(=) Cucumis melo var. aegyptiacus (Sickenb.) Hassib
(=) Cucumis melo var. ameri Gabaev
(previously associated with 1 accession)
Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis Naudin [= Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
(previously associated with 20 accessions)
"Cucumis melo subsp. conomon (Thunb.) Greb., nom. inval." [≡ Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
(=) "Cucumis melo var. duripulposus Filov, nom. inval."
(previously associated with 3 accessions)
(=) "Cucumis melo var. hibernus Filov, nom. inval."
(=) Cucumis melo var. makuwa Makino
(previously associated with 3 accessions)
(=) Cucumis melo var. microspermus Nakai ex Kitam.
(previously associated with 1 accession)
(=) Cucumis melo var. pubescens (Willd.) Kurz
Cucumis melo var. reticulatus Naudin [= Cucumis melo subsp. melo var. cantalupo]
(previously associated with 4 accessions)
Cucumis melo var. utilissimus (Roxb.) Duthie & J. B. Fuller [= Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
(previously associated with 1 accession)
(=) Cucumis microspermus Nakai
Cucumis momordica Roxb. [≡ Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. momordica]
(previously associated with 1 accession)
(=) Cucumis pubescens Willd.
(previously associated with 1 accession)
Cucumis trigonus Roxb. [= Cucumis melo subsp. melo]
(previously associated with 3 accessions)
Cucumis utilissimus Roxb. [= Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon]
(previously associated with 1 accession)

Check other web resources for Cucumis melo L.:

Flora of China: Online version from Harvard University
AVH: Australia's Virtual Herbarium
SIBIS: South African National Biodiversity Institute's (SANBI) Integrated Biodiversity System
On-line Flora of Zimbabwe
TROPICOS: Nomenclatural and Specimen Database of the Missouri Botanical Garden
PROTABASE: Plant Resources of Tropical Africa's (PROTA's) online resource
ePIC: Electronic Plant Information Centre of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
AGRICOLA: Article Citation Database or NAL Catalog of USDA's National Agricultural Library
Entrez: NCBI's search engine for PubMed citations, GenBank sequences, etc.

Images:

GRIN Images of germplasm accessions.

More:

Check PlantSystematics.org for additional images
Images Note: Be advised that their identity may be inaccurate. Proper identification of a plant may require specialized taxonomic knowledge or comparison with properly documented herbarium material.

Abbreviations & symbols in GRIN Taxonomy

Cite as:
USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program.
Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database].
National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?404410 (18 May 2013)

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