Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Cucumis melo

Melon

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Melon, Muskmelon, Cantaloupe, Casaba, Winter Melon, Honeydew Melon

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - India

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food (Fruit 0+)

KEY FEATURES: An annual with simple trendrils and soft fruit. LEAVES with obtuse lobes, xxxx. FLOWERS, single-sexed, bell-like, 5 oval lobes, yellow, 5-lobed; male with 3 stamens; females style divides into 3. FRUIT without pustules, ovoid to oblong, 4-100cm long.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) fruit has scattered pustules each having a clear bristle (vs. no pustules), fruit-pulp pale green (vs. white to orange-red); leaves with sharp lobes (vs. obtuse lobes). Pumpkins/Marrows (Cucurbita pepo) have branched tendrils (vs. simple).

Enlarged Image of 'Cucumis melo'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present?
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
??
-
-

Northern Group:
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
-
-
-
-
-
-

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Cucumis melo Linnaeus
SYNONYMS: Cucumis acidus; Cucumis pubescens

TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Violales; CUCURBITACEAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: ACSm abo intro to much of Pacific, an noted in Tahiti on Cook's first voyage (ACSm).

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.811 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.382 Tropica
p.2/683 A.C.Smith - Flora Vitiensis Nova
p.281 R* Cheeseman - Flora of Rarotonga
p.103 Wilder - Flora of Rarotonga
p.388e Whistler - Ethnobotany of the Cook Islands

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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