| Cucumis melo | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Genus: | Cucumis |
| Species: | C. melo
|
| Binomial name | |
| Cucumis melo | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
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List
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Cucumis melo, also known as melon,[2][3] 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 Cassaba melon), or netted (such as American cantaloupe). The species is sometimes referred to as muskmelon,[4] but 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.[5][6]
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,[7] India or Central Asia.[8] Still others support an African origin, and in modern times wild melons can still be found in some African countries.[9]
- ^ The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 23 January 2016
- ^ "Cucumis melo". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
- ^ "Definition of Melon by Oxford Dictionary". Lexico Dictionaries | English. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ Parsons, James (1745). The Microscopical Theatre of Seeds. Vol. 1. London: F. Needham. p. 338.
- ^ "Melon". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ "Definition of muskmelon". Dictionary by Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
- ^ Raghami, Mahmoud; López-Sesé, Ana Isabel; Hasandokht, Mohamad Reza; Zamani, Zabihollah; Moghadam, Mahmoud Reza Fattahi; Kashi, Abdolkarim (2014-01-01). "Genetic diversity among melon accessions from Iran and their relationships with melon germplasm of diverse origins using microsatellite markers". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 300 (1): 139–151. Bibcode:2014PSyEv.300..139R. doi:10.1007/s00606-013-0866-y. ISSN 1615-6110.
Melons or muskmelon are native to Iran and adjacent countries toward the west and east. In fact, 'Musk' is a Persian word for a kind of perfume and 'melon' is derived from Greek words (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997). The origin of diversity for melon was traditionally believed to be in Africa (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997), although recent molecular systematic studies, suggested that it may be originated from Asia and then reached to Africa (Renner et al. 2007). Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, India, Transcaucasia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, as well as Afghanistan and China (Robinson and Decker-Walters 1997) are considered primary diversity centre for melon (Tzitzikas et al. 2009).
- ^ Swenson, Allan A. (1995). Plants of the Bible: And How to Grow Them. Citadel Press. p. 77. ISBN 9780806516158. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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