Cucumis melo

Also known as Musk Melon, melon plant, muskmelon, melon, Musk melon, true melon

species of plant

OverviewAI-generated

Cucumis melo, commonly known as melon or muskmelon, is a species of plant in the family Cucurbitaceae. It belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the genus Cucumis. The taxon is described as a useful and annual plant. It serves as a source for melons, which are used as fruit, fodder, and medicinal plants. The scientific name was cited by L.

The species is native to regions including Afghanistan, Angola, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gulf States, India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, and Lebanon-Syria. It has been introduced to and is invasive in Shanghai. Its taxon range also includes Beijing, China, and Fujian.

Observations of the organism are recorded in various databases. One source lists 8,798 observations, while another records 37,702 occurrences. The subject is referenced by 142 other encyclopedia articles.

Synthesized by Vinony from 47 facts across 9 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, Encyclopedia of Life, iNaturalist, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Muskmelon

Cucumis melo

SPECIES

KingdomPlantae
PhylumTracheophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderCucurbitales
FamilyCucurbitaceae

Native toAfghanistan, Angola, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gulf States, India, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Lebanon-Syria, Malawi

Observations8,798

Observations recorded37,702

韓國香瓜，又名韓國蜜瓜，是葫蘆科甜瓜屬下的一種植物，果實供食用。是东亚种植的一种甜瓜。

via GBIF · Kew POWO

Museum specimens

Specimen records: 2,000
With media: 1,395
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Collections: FA-UAS, CP, CICY, IB-CUCBA-UDG, SEMAHN, ECOSUR
Recorded in: Mexico

iDigBio →

Research

1,711 papers

Cucumis melo seed oil: agro-food by-product with natural anti-hyperlipidemic potential.Journal of the science of food and agriculture · 2023Shafi A, Farooq U, Akram K et al.DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.12348
Melon (Cucumis melo).Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2015Nonaka S, Ezura HDOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1658-0_16
Molecular Marker-Assisted Mapping, Candidate Gene Identification, and Breeding in Melon (Cucumis melo L.): A Review.ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2023Shahwar D, Khan Z, Park YDOI: 10.3390/ijms242015490
Molecular Markers for Marker-Assisted Breeding for Biotic and Abiotic Stress in Melon (Cucumis melo L.): A Review.ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Shahwar D, Khan Z, Park YDOI: 10.3390/ijms25126307
Cucumis melo var. momordica as a Potent Antidiabetic, Antioxidant and Possible Anticovid Alternative: Investigation through Experimental and Computational Methods.Chemistry & biodiversity · 2022Yadav JP, Grishina M, Shahbaaz M et al.DOI: 10.1002/cbdv.202200200
Time-Series Transcriptome of Cucumis melo Reveals Extensive Transcriptomic Differences with Different Maturity.Genes · 2024Liu F, Shao X, Fan Y et al.DOI: 10.3390/genes15020149
Methanolic extract of Cucumis melo attenuates ethylene glycol-induced nephrolithiasis in Wistar rats.Urolithiasis · 2021Afzal M, Alharbi KS, Alzarea SI et al.DOI: 10.1007/s00240-021-01263-5
Insights into Sucrose Metabolism and Its Ethylene-Dependent Regulation in Cucumis melo L.ReviewMolecular biotechnology · 2025Lao TD, Nguyen NH, Le TAH et al.DOI: 10.1007/s12033-023-00987-6

via PubMed

~6 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Cucumis melo, also known as melon or true melon, is a species of Cucumis that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. The fruit is a pepo. The flesh is either sweet or bland, with or without an aroma, and the rind can be smooth (such as honeydew), ribbed (such as European cantaloupe), wrinkled (such as Casaba melon), or netted (such as American cantaloupe). The species is sometimes referred to as muskmelon. However, there is no consensus about the usage of this term, as it can also be used as a specific name for the musky netted-rind American cantaloupe, or as a generic name for any sweet-flesh variety such the inodorous smooth-rind honeydew melon.

The origin of melons is not known. Research has revealed that seeds and rootstocks were among the goods traded along the caravan routes of the Ancient World. Some botanists consider melons native to the Levant and Egypt, while others place their origin in Iran, India or Central Asia. Still others support an African origin; in modern times, wild melons can still be found in some African countries.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Cucumis melo” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.