Cucurbitaceae Week: Cucumis melo subsp. agrestris var. agrestris from Delhi

[Gurcharan Singh]

Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis Naudin, Ann. Sc. Nat. 4, Ser. 11:73. 1859 

syn: Cucumis trigonous Rox.; C. pubescens Willd.

The taxonomy of this group is rather confusing with most wild species having been merged under C. melo. It, however looks appropriate to separate wild forms under subsp. agrestris and cultivated under subsp. melo.

Common name: Kachri in Delhi, Haryana and Chibar in Rajasthan 

Much branched herb with 3-5 lobed leaves, 9-12 mm across yellow flowers and oval to ellipsoid fruits, light green with dark green patches.

May be confused with Citrullus colocynthis but latter has leaves deeply lobed with narrow pinnately cleft lobes, smaller pale yellow flowers and globose fruits.

Photographed from Delhi and Rajasthan

                Cucumis-melo-agrestris-agrestris-Vikas-puri-1

                 Cucumis-melo-agrestris-agrestris-Vikas-puri-2

                 Cucumis-pubescens-Chibar-Rajasthan-1

                Cucumis-pubescens-Chibar-Rajasthan-3

Gurcharan Singh

                 

[Nidhan Singh]

Thanks for very nice pics and detailed information sir..

--
Regards,

Dr. Nidhan Singh
Department of Botany
I.B. (PG) College
Panipat-132103 Haryana
Ph.: 09416371227

[Balkar Singh]

Nicely depicted set Sir

--
Regards

Dr Balkar Singh
Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology
Arya P G College, Panipat
Haryana-132103
09416262964

[Dr Pankaj Kumar]

Nice illustration of the plant.

Thanks for sharing.

Pankaj

[Gurcharan Singh]

As realised after Nidhan ji's upload I seem to have mixed two plants. One with globose fruits without dark patches. I am uploading young fruit to complete the series

The second plants is locally known as Kachri or Chibbar with oval fruits with lighter colour bur dark green patches.

I will try and separate them in different posts.

-- 

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Phone: 011-25518297  Mob: 9810359089

http://www.gurcharanfamily.com/ 
http://people.du.ac.in/~singhg45/