Muskmelon

Muskmelon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cucumis
Species:	C. melo
Binomial name
Cucumis melo L.
Synonyms[1]
List Cucumis acidus Jacq. Cucumis agrestis (Naudin) Greb. nom. inval. Cucumis alba Nakai Cucumis ambiguus Fenzl ex Hook.f. nom. inval. Cucumis arenarius Schumach. & Thonn. Cucumis aromaticus Royle Cucumis bardanus Fenzl ex Naudin nom. inval. Cucumis bisexualis A.M.Lu & G.C.Wang Cucumis callosus (Rottler) Cogn. Cucumis campechianus Kunth Cucumis cantalupensis Haberle ex M.Roem. nom. illeg. Cucumis cantalupo Rchb. Cucumis chate Hasselq. Cucumis chate L. Cucumis chinensis (Pangalo) Pangalo Cucumis chito C.Morren Cucumis cicatrisatus Stocks Cucumis cognata Fenzl ex Hook.f. nom. inval. Cucumis conomon Thunb. Cucumis cubensis Schrad. Cucumis deliciosus Salisb. nom. illeg. Cucumis dudaim L. Cucumis eriocarpus Boiss. & Noë Cucumis erivanicus Steud. nom. inval. Cucumis flexuosus L. Cucumis jamaicensis Bertero ex Spreng. Cucumis jucunda F.Muell. Cucumis laevigatus Chiov. Cucumis maculatus Willd. Cucumis microcarpus (Alef.) Pangalo Cucumis microsperma Nakai Cucumis microspermus Nakai Cucumis momordica Roxb. Cucumis moschatus Gray nom. illeg. Cucumis odoratissimus Moench nom. illeg. Cucumis odoratissimus W.M.Carp. & Riddell nom. illeg. Cucumis officinarum-melo Crantz Cucumis orientalis Kudr. Cucumis pancherianus Naudin Cucumis pedatifidus Schrad. Cucumis persicodorus Seitz Cucumis persicus (Sarg.) M.Roem. Cucumis pictus Jacq. Cucumis princeps Wender. Cucumis pseudocolocynthis Royle Cucumis pseudocolocynthis Wender. Cucumis pubescens Willd. Cucumis pyriformis Roxb. ex Wight & Arn. nom. inval. Cucumis reflexus Zeyh. ex Ser. nom. inval. Cucumis reginae Schrad. Cucumis schraderianus M.Roem. Cucumis serotinus Haberle ex Seitz Cucumis trigonus Roxb. Cucumis turbinatus Roxb. Cucumis umbilicatus Salisb. nom. illeg. Cucumis utilissimus Roxb. Cucumis villosus Boiss. & Noë nom. inval. Cucurbita aspera Sol. ex G.Forst. nom. inval. Ecballium lambertianum M.Roem. Melo adana (Pangalo) Pangalo Melo adzhur Pangalo Melo agrestis (Naudin) Pangalo Melo ameri Pangalo Melo cantalupensis (Naudin) Pangalo Melo cassaba Pangalo Melo chandalak Pangalo Melo chinensis Pangalo Melo conomon Pangalo Melo dudaim (L.) Sageret Melo figari Pangalo Melo flexuosus (L.) Pangalo Melo microcarpus (Alef.) Pangalo Melo monoclinus Pangalo Melo orientalis (Kudr.) Nabiev Melo persicus Sageret Melo sativus Sageret Melo vulgaris Moench ex Cogn. Melo zard Pangalo Melo × ambiguua Pangalo

Muskmelon (Cucumis melo) is a species of melon that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. These include smooth-skinned varieties such as honeydew, Crenshaw, and casaba, and different netted cultivars (cantaloupe, Persian melon, and Santa Claus or Christmas melon). The Armenian cucumber is also a variety of muskmelon, but its shape, taste, and culinary uses more closely resemble those of a cucumber. The large number of cultivars in this species approaches that found in wild cabbage, though morphological variation is not as extensive. It is a fruit of a type called pepo.

Muskmelon is native to Iran, Anatolia and the Caucasus, with a secondary center including northwest India and Afghanistan.

Genetics

Genomic information

NCBI genome ID	10697
Ploidy	diploid
Genome size	374.77 Mb
Number of chromosomes	12
Year of completion	2012

Muskmelons are monoecious plants. They do not cross with watermelon, cucumber, pumpkin, or squash, but varieties within the species intercross frequently.^[2] The genome of Cucumis melo L. was first sequenced in 2012.^[3]

Nutrition

Per 100 gram serving, cantaloupe melons provide 34 calories and are an excellent source (20% or more the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin A (68% DV) and vitamin C (61% DV), with other nutrients at a negligible level.^[4] Melons are 90% water and 9% carbohydrates, with less than 1% each of protein and fat.^[4]

Uses

In addition to their consumption when fresh, melons are sometimes dried. Other varieties are cooked, or grown for their seeds, which are processed to produce melon oil. Still other varieties are grown only for their pleasant fragrance.^[5] The Japanese liqueur, Midori, is flavored with muskmelon.

Gallery

• 
  Galia melon
• 
  Japanese melon intended as a high-priced gift: The pictured melon is 6300 yen, or about US$62).
• 
  'Squared melon' grown in Atsumi District, Aichi Japan, known as kakumero
• 
  The Armenian cucumber, despite the name, is actually a type of muskmelon.
• 
  Melon vendor in Samarkand, 1915

See also

• Bailan melon
• Crane melon
• Hami melon
• Korean melon
• Melon ball
• Melon Day
• Montreal melon
• Sugar melon

References

Notes

1. The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 23 January 2016
2. Martin Anderson, Texas AgriLife Extension Service. "Muskmelons Originated in Persia - Archives - Aggie Horticulture". tamu.edu.
3. Jordi Garcia-Mas. "The genome of melon (Cucumis melo L.)". pnas.org.
4. "Nutrition Facts for 100 g of melons, cantaloupe, raw [includes USDA commodity food A415]". Conde Nast for the USDA National Nutrient Database, version SR-21. 2014.
5. National Research Council (2008-01-25). "Melon". Lost Crops of Africa: Volume III: Fruits. Lost Crops of Africa. 3. National Academies Press. ISBN 978-0-309-10596-5. Retrieved 2008-07-17.

Sources

• Desai, B.B. (2004). Seeds Handbook: Biology, Production, Processing, and Storage, Vol. 103. CRC Press. ISBN 082474800X.
• Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The Plant Book. A portable dictionary of the higher plants. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. ISBN 0-521-34060-8.
• Magness, J.R., G.M. Markle, C.C. Compton. 1971. Food and feed crops of the United States. Interregional Research Project IR-4, IR Bul. 1 (Bul. 828 New Jersey Agr. Expt. Sta.).

External links

• Cucumis melo L. – Purdue University, Center for New Crops & Plant Products.
• Sorting Cucumis names – Multilingual multiscript plant name database
• Cook's Thesaurus: Melons – Varietal names and pictures