Makuwa melo (Cucumis melo var. makuwa)

Japanese: マクワウリ(真桑瓜) - マクワウリ（英語表記）Cucumis melo var. makuwa

It is an annual creeping plant of the Cucurbitaceae family, and is considered to be the same species as melons and watermelons. It is said to have originated in India, and has a long history of cultivation. The vines are long and creeping above the ground, with palmately shaped leaves with 3 to 7 lobes that grow alternately. It is monoecious, and yellow male and female flowers bloom in summer. The corolla has 5 lobes and is about 2 cm in diameter. The fruit is a cylindrical ellipsoid, 10 to 15 cm long and 5 to 10 cm in diameter, with a yellow-green skin with vertical pale stripes. The flesh is juicy, soft, sweet with a certain fragrance, and is eaten raw as a fruit. It is named after the fact that a good variety of this species was produced in Makuwa Village, Gifu Prefecture, long ago. There are varieties such as Kinmakuwa, which has a golden surface, Ginmakuwa, which has green and white stripes on a green background, and Prince Melon, which has a nearly spherical fruit.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

ウリ科のつる性の一年草で，メロンやシロウリと同一種とされる。インド原産といわれ，栽培の歴史は古い。つるは長く地上をはい，掌状に3～7裂した葉を互生する。雌雄同株で夏，黄色の雄花と雌花を開く。花冠は5裂し，直径約 2cmである。果実は円柱状楕円体で長さ 10～15cm，直径約5～10cmとなり，果皮は黄緑色で縦に淡い色の縞がある。果肉は多汁で軟らかく，一種の香気があり甘いので果物として生食する。昔，岐阜県の真桑村で本種の良品種を産したのでこの名がある。果実の表面が黄金色の金マクワ，緑色の地に緑白の縞のある銀マクワ，果実が球形に近いプリンスメロンなどの品種がある。

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