Orange Melon (Cucumis melo chito)

Family: Cucurbitaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Cucumis melo chito is a ANNUAL CLIMBER growing to 1.5 m (5ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Nuts/Seeds

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat. — Fruit - raw or cooked.; About the size of an orange, it is yellow or greeny-yellow when ripe with a thin leathery skin.; Whilst it can be peeled and eaten raw, it is more often made into pies, preserves, marmalades etc.; Unripe fruits are sometimes pickled whole.

Habitat & North American Range

Derived through cultivation, it is not known in a truly wild location though it sometimes escapes from cultivation and becomes naturalized in fields and waste places. (Zone 9)