Description

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family	Genus
Plantae	Magnoliophyta	Magnoliopsida	Violales	Cucurbitaceae	Cucumis

Synonyms

Invasion History

Chesapeake Bay Status

First Record	Population	Range	Introduction	Residency	Source Region	Native Region	Vectors
1609	Unknown	Stable	Introduced	Boundary Resident	Europe	Eurasia	Agriculture(Agricultural Weed)

History of Spread

Cucumis melo (Canteloupe; Muskmelon) is native to the Old World tropics, and was cultivated in Europe by the 1400s. According to Sturtevant, it was grown on Caribbean Islands, by the natives, in 1494. This fruit seems to have been spread rapidly in trade by native Americans, since it was reported to be cultivated by the local people met by Jaques Cartier in Montreal by 1535. Melons were planted by the first colonists at Jamestown VA in 1609 (Sturtevant 1919). Cucumis melo is cultivated throughout temperate North America and is an occasional escape from gardens (Fernald 1950). One form, known as Dudaim Melon, is regarded as a troublesome weed and invasive in the southwest US (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001).

While Cucumis melo is usually regarded as an upland plant, it was found to be frequent in 'waste areas on marsh margins' in fresh and brackish marshes in Cameron Parish LA (Dutton and Thomas 1991). Several canteloupes were found growing in similar habitats, associated with marsh vegetation (Spartina spp., Atriplex prostrata - Halberd-Leaved Orach), in a brackish marsh adjacent to Chesapeake Bay, in Rose Haven (Anne Arundel County) MD in October 2000 (Fofonoff, unpublished data). Since the fruit were not yet ripe late in the season, it is likely these plants germinated from seeds washed into the Bay by runoff from gardens or sewage, and do not represent self-sustaining populations.

References- Dutton and Thomas 1991; Fernald 1950; Fofonoff, personal observations; Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001

Invasion Comments

Ecology

Environmental Tolerances

	For Survival		For Reproduction
	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum
Temperature (ºC)
Salinity (‰)	0.0		0.0
Oxygen
pH
	Salinity Range	fresh-meso

Age and Growth

	Male	Female
Minimum Adult Size (mm)
Typical Adult Size (mm)
Maximum Adult Size (mm)
Maximum Longevity (yrs)
Typical Longevity (yrs

Reproduction

	Start	Peak	End
Reproductive Season
Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event
Sexuality Mode(s)
Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction
Fertilization Type(s)
More than One Reproduction Event per Year
Reproductive Startegy
Egg/Seed Form

Impacts

Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay

Cucumis melo (Canteloupe) is a common garden and commercial crop in the Chesapeake Bay region. Its sporadic occurrence in tidal wetlands has no reported economic impacts.

Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay

Cucumis melo (Canteloupe) is an important garden and commercial crop in the US. Its sporadic occurrence in tidal wetlands has no reported economic impacts, but one form, known as Dudaim Melon, is regarded as a troublesome weed and invasive in the Southwest US (Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001).

Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species

Cucumis melo (Canteloupe) is only an occasional escape from cultivation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and tidal wetlands. It has no reported impacts on native biota. One form, known as Dudaim Melon, is regarded as a troublesome weed and invasive in the southwest US ( Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001).

References- Natural Resources Conservation Service 2001

Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species

Cucumis melo (Canteloupe) is only an occasional escape from cultivation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and tidal wetlands. It has no reported impacts on exotic biota.

References

Dutton, Bryan E.; Thomas, R. Dale (1991) The vascular flora of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, Castanea 56: 1-37

Fernald, Merritt L. (1950) Gray's Manual of Botany, In: (Eds.) . , New York. Pp.

1997-2024 USDA PLANTS Database.. Onine databse

Sturtevant, E. L. (1919) Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World, , New York. Pp.