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Solanum muricatum

Authority Aiton Family Magnoliopsida:Asteridae:Solanales:Solanaceae Synonyms Solanum guatemalense Hort., Solanum pedunculatum Roem & Shult, Solanum variegatum R. & P. Common names cahum, kachuma, mataserrano, melon shrub, melon-poire, pear melon, pepino, pepino dulce, peramelon, poire-melo, sweet cucumber, xachum Editor Ecocrop code 2528

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A herbaceous plant 50-100 cm in height with a woody base, much branched with alternate ovate to lanceolate leaves. Fruits about the size of a tomato, of variable form, yellowish within, and pleasant in odor and taste. USES The fruits are a good source of vitamin C, they are mainly eaten fresh as a dessert fruit but can also be cooked as a vegetable. It has a mild sweet flavour and is juicy. KILLING T 0°C for seedlings, and -3°C for established plants. GROWING PERIOD Short-lived perennial, grown as an annual where frosts occur. May be harvested after 150-170 days, and have 2 years of economical life. COMMON NAMES Melon pear, Pepino, Pear melon, Sweet cucumber, Pepino douce, Cahum, Xachum, Kachuma, Mataserrano. FURTHER INF Scientific synonym: S. variegatum, S. guatemalense. Melon pear is a tropical species of temperate, mountain and coastal climates. It is grown at altitudes up to 3300 m in Columbia, and from sea level in Chile, New Zealand and California. The species is probably native to the highlands of Peru or Equador. It is well adapted to high relative humidity, mists and drizzle. Yields up to 100 t/ha.
Sources
SOURCES (S. muricatum Aiton) Hackett C 1982 pp 88 [FER, PHO, DEP, PH, TEXT, TEMP] Tindall H 1983 pp 369-370 [TEMP] Roecklein J 1987 pp 232 [USE, TEMP, RAIN, FER, DRA] Duke J 1975 pp 27 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Vietmeyer N 1989 pp 297-305 [PHO, RAIN, DRA, KTMP, TEMP, PH, FER] Martin F 1984 pp 213-215 [TEMP, RAIN, PHO, DRA, FER, USE] Siemonsma J 1993 pp 303 [USE] Bermejo J 1994 pp 181-185 [USE, TEMP, RAIN, LIG]