Cucumis melo ssp. melo var. flexuosus (Linn.) Naudin

In literature generally Cucumis melo L. var. utilissimus (Roxb.) Duthie & Fuller (Syn. Cucumis utilissimus Roxb., Fl. Ind. 3:721. 1832), is adopted for the plant commonly known as Kakri in our area. However, Roxburgh’s original description of Cucumis utilissimus is entirely different from the var. flexuosus. In the former taxon the fruits are perfectly oval, 10-15 x 7-10 cm, and smooth when ripe, while in the later taxon the fruits are cylindric, 20-90 x 2.5-8 cm, generally furrowed and variously curved. Like var. Momordica, var. utilissimus is a cultivar derived from subsp. agrestis but the fruit does not burst after ripening.

Fruit many times longer than broad, generally furrowed and variously curved, 20-90 cm long and only 2.5-8 cm in diameter, softly hairy when young. Seeds are smaller than those of var. melo.

Distribution: Cultivated throughout upper India and Pakistan (Punjab and Sind) and elsewhere.

Fl. Per.: April-July.