Solanum muricatum Seeds | Pepino Melon
LATIN NAME: Solanum muricatum
COMMON NAME: Pepino Melon
Plant Profile
Among the ornamental and useful plants raised from seed, Pepino Melon (Solanum muricatum) stands out as a perennial in the nightshade family. Pepino melon is fruit that tastes like a melon and grows on a bush. Plant is one of fine, easy fruits of warm garden and pot, giving its sweet fruits through warm season. It is a plant of open, sunny, well-drained ground. Plants that offer this much while asking this little are rare enough to treasure.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the nightshade family, Solanum muricatum draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. Pepino melon is a quiet, fruitful subject of plant science, studied for sweet, striped fruits and way bush fruits so freely. The upshot for anyone sowing it is reassurance — cultivated stock of this plant has a long, well-documented track record.
Uses & Benefits
Pepino Melon works well in borders, containers and dedicated beds. Pepino melon is a fine, easy fruit of warm garden and the pot. Round, striped fruits carry fine, sweet, melon-like flesh, eaten fresh, sliced into fruit salads or chilled with a squeeze of lime, and bush gives its fruits through warm season. Establishment is uncomplicated, and afterwards ordinary care suffices.
The nightshade genus feeds the world, potato, tomato, eggplant, and arms it too: goji is its tonic member, while many ornamentals carry toxic solanine-type alkaloids, so identification is everything in this genus.
Growing from Seed
Pepino Melon grows readily from seed. Sow on the surface of a gritty, well-drained mix, cover lightly with fine compost, and maintain gentle, even moisture in a sunny position. Once the seedlings have made true leaves, pot them on individually and plant out when they are sturdy and conditions are right.
Our Take
Pepino Melon is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. It is generous with beginners and their occasional misjudgements.
Related Reading
Readers interested in Pepino Melon frequently explore these as well: