Melon
Cucumis melo
Synonyms: Cucumis cantalupo, Luffa racemosa, Cucumis melo var. petrosus, Cucumis melo var. fairi, Cucumis melo f. grandifolius, Cucumis melo var. ananas-i-chair-verte, Cucumis conomon var. koreana, Cucumis pancherianus, Cucumis melo var. sapidissimus, Momordica lambertiana, Cucumis dudaim, Cucumis melo var. adana, Pepo melopepo, Cucumis melo var. shammam, Cucumis bardanus, Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis, Cucumis villosus, Cucumis melo var. momordica, Cucumis melo var. gracilior, Cucumis melo var. atossae, Cucumis microspermus, Momordica sativa, Cucumis melo var. mehanawy, Cucumis melo var. italicus, Cucumis melo var. succosus, Cucumis melo var. dampsa, Cucumis melo var. aegyptiacus, Cucumis melo f. viridis, Cucumis persicodorus, Cucumis arenarius, Cucumis melo subvar. geyeidy, Cucumis flexuosus var. curvatoaurantiacus, Cucumis melo subsp. adana, Cucumis melo var. viridis, Cucumis melo var. aurantiacus, Cucumis melo var. indicus, Melo adzhur, Cucumis dudaim aegyptiacus, Luffa clavata, Melo persicus, Cucumis melo var. praecox, Cucumis melo var. alboviridis, Cucumis melo var. makua, Cucumis melo var. zebrinoaurantiacus, Cucumis melo var. dumeri, Melo agrestis, Cucumis melo var. gehoon, Cucumis odoratissimus, Cucumis jucunda, Cucumis melo f. dulcis, Cucumis melo var. naudinii, Cucumis melo var. faginus, Cucumis melo var. chloris, Cucumis laevigatus, Cucumis flexuosus var. rectoviridis, Cucumis pubescens, Cucumis melo f. hamikua, Cucumis melo var. anatolicus, Cucumis conomon var. rugosa, Cucumis melo var. liliinus, Cucumis melo var. pancherianus, Cucumis melo subsp. microcarpus, Cucumis sativus var. conomon, Cucumis melo var. monoclinus, Cucumis melo var. salmoneus, Cucumis melo var. adress, Cucumis melo var. microcastanus, Cucumis melo var. striatus, Cucumis melo var. hasanbey, Cucumis melo var. cantalupo, Cucumis orientalis, Melo flexuosus, Cucumis melo var. argenteus, Cucumis maculatus, Cucumis microcarpus, Cucumis melo var. ispahanensis, Cucumis melo var. peruanus, Cucumis melo var. insipidus, Cucumis melo subvar. waraqi, Cucumis melo var. orientalis, Luffa foetida, Cucumis melo var. maltensis, Pepo verrucosus, Cucumis melo var. autumnales, Cucumis umbilicatus, Cucumis melo var. cultus, Cucumis melo var. unionis, Cucumis melo subsp. spontaneum, Luffa cordata, Cucumis melo var. pubescens, Cucumis melo var. duripulposus, Cucumis melo var. zebrinoluteus, Cucumis flexuosus var. curvatoviridis, Cucumis melo var. coronata, Cucumis melo var. montaguanus, Cucumis melo var. albidus, Cucumis melo var. kurschaing, Cucumis melo var. gallicus, Cucumis pyriformis, Cucumis melo var. siamensis, Cucumis melo f. flavus, Cucumis alba var. flavescens, Cucumis ambiguus, Cucumis melo var. burrells-gem, Cucumis melo var. golobcresdael, Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis, Cucumis melo var. variegatus, Cucumis melo var. minutissimus, Melo figari, Cucumis melo var. durrieni, Cucumis melo var. senani, Cucumis momordica, Cucumis melo var. carmelitarum, Cucumis melo var. tamago, Cucumis melo var. syriacus, Cucumis melo var. nucinus, Cucumis melo var. deliciosus, Cucumis melo f. albidus, Luffa cylindrica var. multiflora, Cucumis melo var. buharici, Cucumis flexuosus var. adzhur, Cucumis melo subvar. cultus, Cucumis dudaim elongatus, Cucumis melo var. arundel, Cucumis melo var. flavus, Cucumis chinensis, Cucumis melo var. saharunporensis, Cucumis melo var. macropyrochrus, Melo adana, Cucumis melo var. germek, Cucumis melo var. zaami, Cucumis melo var. persicodorus, Cucumis officinarum-melo, Cucumis melo var. keiseng, Cucumis melo var. polignac, Cucumis melo var. friesicus, Cucumis melo var. aestivalis, Cucumis melo subsp. flexuosus, Cucumis melo var. ameri, Ecballium lambertianum, Cucumis melo var. schraderianus, Cucumis melo f. ginmakua, Cucumis agrestis subsp. figari, Cucumis melo var. chate, Cucumis melo var. gourbek, Cucumis collosus, Cucumis melo var. cantalupa, Cucumis melo var. durans, Cucumis melo var. brasilianus, Cucumis melo var. shahd, Melo conomon, Cucumis melo var. nigrescens, Cucumis melo var. ananas, Cucumis melo f. variegatus, Cucumis melo var. susianuus, Cucumis melo f. dissectifolius, Cucumis melo var. daree, Cucumis persicus, Cucumis melo var. bullock, Cucumis flexuosus var. curvatoalbus, Cucumis melo subvar. elongatus, Cucumis melo var. dudaim, Cucumis dudaim striatus, Cucumis melo var. insularis, Cucumis aromaticus, Cucumis melo var. atab, Cucumis utilissimus, Cucumis chito, Cucumis melo var. cossonianus, Cucumis melo var. maculatus, Cucumis melo var. saidi, Cucumis melo var. zard, Cucumis melo var. gerger, Cucumis melo var. praecantalupa, Cucumis melo f. showamelon, Cucumis melo subsp. rigidus, Cucumis melo var. leucadicus, Luffa scabra, Cucumis melo var. provincialis, Cucumis melo subsp. dudaim, Cucumis melo var. honey-dew, Cucumis melo var. aethiopicus, Cucumis melo var. chandalak, Luffa hederacea, Cucumis eriocarpus, Cucumis serotinus, Cucumis melo f. agrestis, Cucumis melo rigidus, Cucumis erivanicus, Cucumis campechianus, Cucumis melo var. microcarpus, Cucumis melo var. fucharici, Cucumis melo var. utilissimus, Cucumis melo subsp. cantalupa, Cucumis melo var. pachyderma, Cucumis melo var. caseiformis, Melo chinensis, Cucumis princeps, Cucumis melo subsp. chinensis, Cucumis trigonus, Luffa jacquinii, Cucumis melo var. odessanus, Luffa parvala, Cucumis melo var. makuwa, Cucumis melo var. ducalis, Melo cassaba, Cucumis melo var. bitarianus, Cucumis melo subvar. agrestis, Cucumis melo adana, Cucumis melo var. firany, Cucumis melo var. theioides, Cucumis cognata, Cucumis acidus, Cucumis melo var. macrocastanus, Cucumis microspermus var. koreanus, Cucumis melo var. chinensis, Cucumis bisexualis, Cucumis melo var. rigidus, Cucumis melo var. conomon, Cucumis melo var. chrysopetrus, Cucumis melo var. goorgab, Cucumis melo aurantiacus, Cucumis melo f. typicus, Cucumis melo var. leeanus, Cucumis melo var. prescottii, Luffa satpatia, Melo orientalis, Cucumis melo subsp. europaeus, Luffa arabum, Cucumis cantalupensis, Cucumis melo var. gem-rocky, Momordica cylindrica, Cucumis melo var. agrestis, Cucumis melo var. microspermus, Cucumis melo var. vard, Cucumis melo subsp. cassaba, Cucumis moschatus, Melo chate, Cucumis melo var. ecostatus, Cucumis melo var. carthagenens, Cucumis melo var. santawi, Cucumis melo var. tauricus, Cucumis schraderianus, Cucumis melo var. dinodaim, Cucumis pictus, Cucumis melo var. nuksewan, Cucumis melo subsp. conomon, Melo cantalupa, Cucumis melo var. bos-valdy, Cucurbita aspera, Cucumis melo subvar. bassusi, Cucumis melo f. albus, Cucumis dudaim bitarianus, Luffa cylindrica, Cucumis cubensis, Cucumis melo var. chito, Cucumis chate, Cucumis melo var. macroleucus, Cucumis melo var. saccharinus, Cucumis melo var. rhodosarx, Cucumis melo var. vulgaris, Cucumis melo var. giganteus, Melo zard, Cucumis flexuosus var. reflexus, Cucumis melo var. chilensis, Melo monoclinus, Cucumis melo var. leucospermus, Cucumis melo f. kikumelon, Cucumis melo subsp. orientalis, Cucumis pseudocolocynthis, Cucumis melo var. hiemalis, Cucumis melo var. hibernus, Cucumis cubensis var. costatus, Cucumis melo var. romanus, Cucumis melo var. tarra, Cucumis melo var. microleucus, Cucumis melo var. cantonianus, Cucumis melo var. annae, Melo chandalak, Cucumis melo var. erythrosarx, Cucumis reginae, Cucumis microspermus var. rugosus, Cucumis melo var. pedatifidus, Cucumis melo var. acidulus, Cucumis melo subsp. chandalak, Luffa vittata, Melo ameri, Cucumis melo var. olorinus, Cucumis melo subsp. chate, Cucumis melo var. elongatus, Cucumis melo subsp. vulgaris, Cucumis melo var. azmirli, Cucumis melo var. mansouri, Cucumis melo var. turonensis, Cucumis turbinatus, Cucumis cicatrisatus, Cucumis melo var. reticulatus, Cucumis melo var. inodorus, Cucumis melo var. zhukovskyi, Cucumis flexuosus var. rectoalbus, Melo vulgaris, Luffa striata, Cucumis melo var. citrodorus, Cucumis jamaicensis, Cucumis flexuosus var. terra, Cucumis melo subsp. pubescens, Cucumis pedatifidus, Cucumis melo var. leucodictyon, Cucumis melo var. reginae, Cucumis melo f. rugosus, Cucumis melo var. casaba, Cucumis melo subsp. cultus, Melo dudaim, Cucumis melo var. micropyrochrus, Cucumis melo var. texanus, Cucumis melo var. flexuosus, Cucumis alba, Cucumis melo subsp. ameri, Melo microcarpus, Cucumis melo var. paplis, Cucumis melo var. endaurantius, Cucumis melo var. cassabar, Cucumis reflexus, Cucumis melo subsp. zard, Luffa luffa, Cucumis melo var. odoratissimus, Luffa veitchii, Cucumis melo var. hime, Cucumis flexuosus, Cucumis melo var. erythraeus, Cucumis melo var. beida, Cucumis melo subvar. aegyptiacus, Cucumis melo var. thessalonicus, Cucumis melo var. khadra, Cucumis melo var. zhukowskii, Cucumis deliciosus, Cucumis conomon, Bryonia collosa, Cucumis melo var. vaughans-original-osage, Cucumis flexuosus var. rectoauranticus, Melo ambiguus, Cucumis melo var. hooseini, Melo sativus, Cucumis melo var. citrinus
Western Herbalism Properties
Gallery
Botanical Description
Cucumis melo, the melon or muskmelon, is a trailing or climbing annual vine in the family Cucurbitaceae, of probable African or southwestern Asian origin and now one of the world's major cultivated fruit crops, with cultivars selected for sweet edible fruits and a smaller group used as vegetables. The plant produces softly hairy spreading stems 1-3 m long that climb or scramble by means of unbranched coiled tendrils borne opposite the leaves at most nodes. The leaves are alternate, palmately 5-7-lobed (shallowly to deeply, depending on cultivar), 8-15 cm across, with toothed margins, a roughly hairy surface, and a long petiole. Flowers are unisexual on the same plant (monoecious); the staminate flowers are smaller, clustered, and short-lived, while the solitary pistillate flowers sit at the leaf axil on a hairy ovary that already shows the form of the future fruit. Each flower is broadly campanulate, 2-3 cm across, with five bright yellow fused petal-lobes. The fruit (a pepo) is enormously variable across cultivar groups, ranging from small smooth-skinned snake-melons through rough netted muskmelons (cantaloupe group), smooth honeydews, and the long-keeping winter melons, with flesh colours including white, green, yellow, salmon, and deep orange.
Cultural & Historical Context
Traditional American Uses
Cucumis melo is recorded in the NAEB database with 16 uses by southwestern and northeastern North American indigenous peoples (Iroquois, Hopi, Navajo, Keresan, Okanagan-Colville, Seminole, Sia, Thompson), but with the single exception of a Hopi ceremonial use, all are food uses (fruit eaten fresh or dried, used as a vegetable, in bread, or as a sauce/relish) reflecting adoption of this post-Columbian cultivated introduction into indigenous foodways (Moerman, 1998). No specifically medicinal indigenous use is documented.
Chemistry & External Identifiers
Important Disclaimer
This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.