Three kachri fruits: which is which?

[Gurcharan Singh]

It is understandable to find so many cultivars of Cucumis melo var. melo maintained in cultivation. It is also safe to include all wild forms sold in India under the name Cucumis melo var. agrestis (with synonyms C. trigonous, C. pubescens and C. callosus), but when trying to pin point the exact links problems do arise since the common Kachri (Selni in Maharashta, Chibar) in Rajasthan would find names linked to any of the three commonly referred species from India). C. callosus is supposed to differ from others, if not in fruit then by deeply lobed leaves (so should be C. trigonous a it is treated as synonym of C. callosus in Fascicles of Flora of India by Chatterjee), as uploaded by me 

(plant only, fruits are from different location/plant     https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/indiantreepix/Cucumis$20melo$20agrestis$20Gurcharan/indiantreepix/pUHw3tors-g/ufH-n8_0iTYJ

Chatterjee includes only C. pubescens under var. agrestis (supposed to have less or not-divided leaves.

I have now three very distinct fruits in my hand 

1. Kachri or Chibar from Rajasthan with fruit 4.5-6 cm long, green spotted with dark green, large seed cavity, thin flesh zone and lage 8-10 mm long seeds.

2. Bari Kachri, with 6-10 long fruits, oblong to subglobose with broader dark green patches and similar flesh and seed cavity but with yellowish pulp. One narrower fruit among the three looks somewhat trigonous, narrower in length-breadth ratio. Like kachri is mostly eaten raw or pickled.

3. Chhoti kachri seen for the first time in market with much smaller fruit barely 2-3 cm long and seeds just 3-4 mm long. It is supposed to be cooked as vegetable. It may turn out to be some distinct species.

Waiting for your inputs.

[Gurcharan Singh]

Please read Chatterjee as Chakravarty, who has done a lot of work on Indian Cucurbits.

Gurcharan Singh

[J.M. Garg]

Forwarding again for any assistance in the matter please.

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With regards,
J.M.Garg

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