Lost Crops of Africa Volume III: Fruits (2008) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 89-102
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From page 89... ...
One fruiterer who markets over a hundred specialty crops reported that, "Horned melons created more furor and generated more curiosity than any produce item we have helped introduce to the American scene." Moreover, American farmers started to grow their own. Israel too began commercial production, and now sells fruit to Europe under the name Melano®.
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From page 90... ...
Wild fruits are also baked whole like pumpkin, especially across the Kalahari, and are also sun-dried for future use. Nonetheless, in most parts of its native habitat, hardly anyone knows this fruit well.
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From page 91... ...
As with other "lost" fruits, combining imagination, hard work, and a little luck might transform horned melon into an indispensable part of Africa's own fruit repertoire.
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From page 92... ...
Not everyone likes eating horned melon out-of-hand, but those that do usually cut it lengthwise and serve it "on the half shell." Another method used by 4 Additional prospects, as well as greater technical detail than possible here, are outlined for horned melon and an increasing number of other African species by Plant Resources of Tropical Africa at www.prota.org; see Preface.
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From page 93... ...
2007. Preliminary assessment of nutritional value of traditional leafy vegetables in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
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From page 94... ...
Also, especially in a wetter climate, fungi can be problematic.7 When grown in greenhouses the crop needs a pollinator, such as bees. Beehives also help when horned melons are grown in the open.
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From page 95... ...
In Queensland, for instance, the plant is a sometime pest of sugarcane fields and farms,8 although it is not regarded as a weed in South Africa or Botswana.9 It is also considered a nuisance weed at one location in South Carolina (the USDA Vegetable Laboratory near Charleston) but has remained very localized.
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From page 96... ...
Reportedly, even Californians are beginning to enjoy it for its flavor. In selecting wild fruits, it is important they be of the "sweet" type.
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From page 97... ...
It is also possible to breed in other directions, toward more seed for example. Although the genetic potential is unknown, the disease-resistant and already seedy horned melon could become a premier crop for producing melon seed on a commercial scale.
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From page 98... ...
All three belong to the same genus, Cucumis. Genetically speaking, horned melon is closer to melon than cucumber, but so far no one has successfully crossed any of them.18 In attempts to transfer pest resistance to cucumber, researchers have found that fruits develop in crosses using horned melon pollen; however, no viable seeds from this chimera have yet been found to carry on these genes.19 Although gene transfer is undoubtedly difficult, all avenues seem worth pursuing because success would likely reduce costs for producing both crops and benefit the environment as well.
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From page 99... ...
Mey. ex Naudin Family Cucurbitaceae Synonyms Cucumis metulifer Naudin20 Common Names Afrikaans: rooikomkommer, rooi-agurkie, wilde-komkommer Bantu: nku, mutete, mugaika, mukaka, uhufafa Botswana: magabala, mogau English: spiny cucumber, horned cucumber, jelly melon, Kiwano© French: métulon, concombre africain German: Horn-Gurke, Hommelone Israel: Melano© Malawi: cucumber, bitter wild cucumber Shona: mutete, mugaika, mushonga, mugaka South Africa: bitter wild cucumber Tswana: magabala Venda: mukake Zambia: mugagachiga Zimbabwe: mushonga, mugaka, mutete, mugaika (S)
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From page 100... ...
Environmental Requirements As a general rule, suitable sites for horned melon are those where cantaloupes can be cultivated (see Chapter 8, Melon)
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From page 101... ...
. Although cucurbits are notorious for hybridizing among themselves, attempts over the past 40 years to cross these species with horned melon have almost always been uniformly unsuccessful (see Next Steps, above)
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