Paddy melon

Paddy melon
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cucumis
Species:	C. myriocarpus
Binomial name
Cucumis myriocarpus E. Mey. ex Naud.

The paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus) is a prostrate or climbing annual herb native to tropical and southern Africa.^[1] It has small, round, yellow-green or green-striped fruit with soft spines, small yellow flowers and deeply lobed, light green leaves. The melon occurs in disturbed soil and cleared or bare areas, and thrives on summer moisture.^[1]

The fruit and foliage are toxic due to the presence of cucurbitacin. The plant is potentially toxic to horses, sheep, cattle and pigs and has been associated with stock deaths.^[2]. It has been used by humans as an emetic.^[3] There are records of poisoning occurring in humans.^[4]

The melon is a weed in Australia and in California, where it may also be known as prickly paddy melon, bitter apple, gooseberry gourd and gooseberry cucumber.^{[3] [2]}

The paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus) is often confused with the afghan or camel melon (Citrullus Lanatus). The paddy melon has many small fruit, hidden under the leaves. The fruit are smaller than a golf ball and green in colour, developing to yellow on maturity. The larger melons commonly seen on roadsides in outback Australia are in fact Citrullus Lanatus, a wild relative of the watermelon.^{[1] [5][6]} The misnomer is widespread in Australia, such that in common parlance the term "paddy melon" is understood to mean the larger green/yellow fruit of the Citrullus Lanatus.

Paddy and Afghan melons (collectively referred to as wild melons) sometimes occur in mixed infestations.^[1] They vary only slightly in colour and appearance, with the Citrullus Lanatus leaves slightly more variegated than those of Cucumis myriocarpus.^[7] Fruit size is the clearest identifying factor. However, management of all wild melons is similar, apart from some variation in sensitivity to Glyphosate. ^[7][2] Mechanical removal of small infestations is the simplest control method, and cultivation at early stages of growth can be effective. Large infestations are sometimes controlled by the spray-graze method, in which plants are sprayed with a sub lethal dose of hormone herbicide to make them more palatable to stock, and the area is heavily grazed 3 days later. Toxicity is managed by making other feed available.^[4][1]

Both wild melon species have a similar unpleasant odor when broken or disturbed. This makes them less palatable to stock so poisoning tends only to occur when little other feed is available.^[4]

The plant occurs in Spain, where it is naturalized and known by the common names of "habanera" or "sandía habanera."^[3]

References

External links

• Jepson Manual Treatment
• Florabase Cucumis myriocarpus
• Florabase Citrullus lanatus
• WA Department of Agriculture

v t e Melon Bailan melon Bitter melon Canary melon Cantaloupe Citron melon Citrullus ecirrhosus Cucumeropsis mannii Galia Hami melon Honeydew Horned melon Melon ball Montreal melon Muskmelon Paddy melon Piel de Sapo Santa Claus melon Sprite melon Sugar melon Sun Melon Watermelon Watermelon steak Winter melon Yubari King

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