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Cucamelon (Melthoria Scabra)
Bobbinapples
Posts: 5
in Plants
So as of right now I have one hardy Cucamelon outside, with a single fruit on it - what has gotten me confused though is that the fruit itself looks NOTHING like any other cucamelon i have ever seen in a picture. Any input would be appreciated.
Also, I have a Eden's Gem Muskmelon growing nearby it - Is it possible to cross pollinate a cucamelon with either cucumbers or muskmelon to change the expression of the fruit?
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Melothria scabra* Sorry for double post! it wont let me edit.
To anyone interested in following this strange fruit, I have new pictures of the same Cucamelon from earlier, and a brand new picture of just a baby cucamelon fruit!
That's all i have for now, I'm 100% sure it has way more cantaloupe genetics due to it's growth pattern.
Hello I am growing cucamelons this year for the first time mine have many fruits on them as on seed packets , I don't think you're is a cucamelon the stem is to thick more like a normal cucumber , cucamelon have very thin stems , were did you buy your seeds .
Hi Bobinapples. I have to agree with Jason, you have some kind of curcubit growing there, but it's not a cucamelon. The stems of a cucamelon are very thin and threadlike with tiny springy tendrils. The fruits are grape sized, smooth skinned, with watermelon type markings.
I don't think this is a cross pollination issue from within your garden. I think you've been sold the wrong seeds. How big were they? Cucamelon seeds are very small, comparable in size to sesame seeds.
Sorry I can't help ID your mystery plant. I've never grown melons.... only cucamelons, cucumbers and courgettes.
I am growing melons this is not a melon where did you buy the seeds .
Thanks for the response guys. I bought the seeds off of the internet and they look almost identical to cucumber seeds, probably a shady seller since I don't recall offhand (This was a while ago, I had just started ordering seeds and was not prudent about my sources). I have tried searching high and low for what this strange plant really is, and I ate the one shown yesterday (the picture i provided earlier is a mature fruit) and the taste actually matched up to what cucamelons are described to taste like - a lime-y cucumber as i've read. The tanginess was overwhelming, and it had a cucumber taste that was nearly artificial in it's strength.
I have another one that is maturing at the moment and still has the little black spikes all over it. I looked up Cucurbits but nothing really struck me as being similar. I am somewhat of the opinion that this could be a cucamelon that was bred through mixing cantaloupe and cucucumber, and whoever sold it to me just stole a picture of the traditional watermelon/cucumber cross since the actual pictures of it would not be nearly as novel. (I mean, this looks like a potato, but eats like a really thick fleshed cucumber that was dunked in lime juice)
I'm pretty close to sending a seed sample in to clemson university (just a few miles down the road from me) and getting it analyzed.
The little fruit looks exactly like the gherkins I am growing. Sorry but no idea what the mystery thing is ..