Cucumis melo Inodorus 蜜瓜

Common name : Honeydew, 蜜瓜, 白兰瓜

Family : Cucurbitaceae

Honeydew is an American name for the French variety White Antibes.

Cultivation

Originated from France.

Introduced to China by Henry A. Wallace, Vice President of the US in 1940s, who donated the seeds when visiting China. It is grown near Lanzhou兰州, the capital city of Gansu province甘肃省. The name was named bailan melon白兰瓜, for its whitish ( 白 ) coloured fruit, and the area Lanzhou ( 兰).

Description

Annual or sometimes perennial (in wild form), trailing, prostrate or rarely climbing herb.

Stem angular and hirsute, sometimes becoming circular and glabrous.

Leaves ± reniform, 5-angled or shallowly 5-lobed, lobes obtuse, both surfaces covered with soft villous hairs; size variable, 5-15 cm long and as much broad, smaller in wild forms.

Male flowers fasciculate; peduncle 5-3 cm long. Calyx tube villous, 5-8 mm long, sepals subulate. Corolla 1-2 cm long.

Fruit round to slightly oval shape, 15 – 22 cm long. 1.8 – 3.6 kg weight.

Seeds white, oblong and emarginate.

References

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeydew_(melon)

2. http://www.eol.org/pages/584424