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Cucumis melo L. subsp. agrestis (Naudin) Pangalo var. agrestis Naudin, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 4, 11:73. 1859 ;
. KOO-koo-mis — from the Greek kykyon, meaning cucumber MEL-oh — an apple-shaped melon ag-RES-tiss — of or belonging to fields … Dave’s Botanary . commonly known as: senat seed, small gourd, wild musk melon • Gujarati: કચરી kachari • Hindi: कचरी kachari, कचरिया kachariya • Konkani: चिबडिण chibdin • Marathi: शिंडे shinde • Nepalese: gurmi • Rajasthani: कचरी kachari . Native to: Asia, tropical Africa . 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.
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May be confused with Citrullus colocynthis but latter has leaves deeply lobed with narrow pinnately cleft lobes, smaller pale yellow flowers and globose fruits.
. Both raw and mature fruits are used to make chatani…the fruits are sliced when fresh and then the slices are dried in shade to preserve them for off seasons…fruits are edible in any form….;
Used in Rajasthan mostly in pickled form;
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KOO-koo-mis — from the Greek kykyon, meaning cucumber Aug 28, 2008 … along Ghodbunder Road near Gaimukh, Thane, Maharashtra
Cucurbitaceae Week: Cucumis melo subsp. agrestris var. agrestris from Delhi: 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 As realised after … upload I seem to have mixed two plants. One with globose fruits without dark patches. I am uploading young fruit to complete the series. . Cucurbitaceae Week: For Id from Panipat: Yes … Cucumis melo subsp. agrestris Thanks Sir for the reply, This seems to me different from Kachri or Chibbar, we used to see, will be good to dig out further…the fruit shape is globular comapred to oval, the ripe fruit never turns yellow in kachri…am I right Sir? Yes … I also had this doubt but mixed up the photographs because some one told me that the plant is kachri or chibbar. Thanks sir for details, I have the second plant (which I suppose is kachri) with flowers but no fruits to be firm. . Cucurbitaceae Week: Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis?: I have got some fruit pics…of the same, though these were shot from different location, yet I firmly believe they belong to same species, After discussions with …, we prefer to call this Cucumis trigonus. One more fruit pic… Yes …, you are right, Kachri or Chibbar. . Cucurbitaceae Week: Revisiting Cucumis melo subsp. agrestris var. agrestris: Cucumis pubescens pl. validate:
22112011GS1 cucurbit vegetable from Rajasthan, ‘CHIBAR’: Could it be Citrullus colocynthis? … this is not Citrullus colocynthis though i dont know the real name…. Citurllus colocynthis fruits are bigger but these are small. I also had that doubt. This fruit grows to the length of about 7 cm or so and breadth of about 5 cm. Also the shape is oval as against near globose in C. colocynthis. Let us wait for further inputs. The name is Cucumis pubescens…also called as Kachri in Haryana…both raw and mature fruits are used to make chatani…the fruits are sliced when fresh and then the slices are dried in shade to preserve them for off seasons…fruits are edible in any form…. Thanks … http://madteaparty.wordpress.com/2007/07/26/a-strange-gourd/
Flora of Panipat: Cucumis melo var. agrestis from Lohari Panipat:
Another fruit vegetable consumed in Rajasthan under name CHHIBAR-help in ID-14032013GS : 2 images. 3 posts by 2 authors. It has been taken as Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis in earlier discussions. Yes … Cucumis melo subsp. agrestris var. agrestris (syn: C. callosus, C. trigonous) Pl. find the attached file contain photos of Cucumber sp. for id. confirmation.
Date: 04.08.2013
Location: Adyar, Chennai
Habitat: Urban, Along the Adyar river basin
Habit: climber. Is it not Kachri (Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis) we see in Haryana ? I agree that those photos show C. melo L. subsp. agrestis (Naudin) Pangalo i will also go with Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis, or the Kachari used in haryana for making some sour chatania with fresh fruits or with dried slices of the fruits….the fruits can be eaten as such when slightly pale and are sweet sour in taste….
Cucumis callosus ?? from STR 61209 – NSD 120 : 7 posts by 4 authors. Attachments (2).
Uploading Cucumis callosus from Cucurbitaceae family Photo taken 31-10-09 from Satpura Tiger Reserve I think id is correct, experts pl confirm or id otherwise In Hindi it is known as Kasiphal & Kaddu. To me it appears to be Kachri as we call it in Haryana as per efi page Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis That’s the wild progenitor of Cucumis melo (I believe).
Three kachri fruits: which is which? : Attachments (7). 3 posts by 2 authors.
It is understandable to find so many cultivars of Cucumis melo var. melo maintained in cultivation. It is also safe to include all wild forms sold in India under the name Cucumis melo var. agrestis (with synonyms C. trigonous, C. pubescens and C. callosus), but when trying to pin point the exact links problems do arise since the common Kachri (Selni in Maharashta, Chibar) in Rajasthan would find names linked to any of the three commonly referred species from India). C. callosus is supposed to differ from others, if not in fruit then by deeply lobed leaves (so should be C. trigonous a it is treated as synonym of C. callosus in Fascicles of Flora of India by Chakravarty), as uploaded by me (plant only, fruits are from different location/plant efi thread
Chakravarty includes only C. pubescens under var. agrestis (supposed to have less or not-divided leaves.
I have now three very distinct fruits in my hand
1. Kachri or Chibar from Rajasthan with fruit 4.5-6 cm long, green spotted with dark green, large seed cavity, thin flesh zone and lage 8-10 mm long seeds.
2. Bari Kachri, with 6-10 long fruits, oblong to subglobose with broader dark green patches and similar flesh and seed cavity but with yellowish pulp. One narrower fruit among the three looks somewhat trigonous, narrower in length-breadth ratio. Like kachri is mostly eaten raw or pickled.
3. Chhoti kachri seen for the first time in market with much smaller fruit barely 2-3 cm long and seeds just 3-4 mm long. It is supposed to be cooked as vegetable. It may turn out to be some distinct species. . ID request 15122013PC2: Attachments (4). 4 posts by 3 authors.
Kindly identify this cucurbit growing in Delhi. Photographs were taken in October, 2010.
The flowers are about 1 – 1.5 cm across and the fruit about 3-4 cm long. Seems to be Kachri– Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis Yes Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis, locally known as Kachri.
Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis : Cucurbitaceae : Mumbai : 150914 : AK-13 : 3 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (2).
Seen in Mumbai market in Nov,2013.
Smaller fruits.
These look like Chhoti Kachri, the third in your following link….
Three kachri fruits: which is which?
You had identified it for me earlier as “Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis
Kachri in N India, Chibar in Rajasthan, Selni in Maharashtra, Wild melon.” Yes … Nice upload
Jan2015sk29 Hooghly – Cucumis trigonus Roxb.? : 5 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (9)
These photographs were recorded on 14-July-2012.
Wild trailing on roadside or in uncultivated fields, or in wasteplace.
efi page on Cucumis melo subsp. melo (Syn: (=) Cucumis trigonus Roxb.)) Since leaves are harshly scabrid in this wild species this should be Cucumis trigonus Roxb. as per KEY and description in (i) Bengal Plants and (ii) The Botany of Bihar and Orissa. But, I am not sure of the current accepted name, because as per FoP it is Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis. I can’t say if FoP is correct or otherwise. Both The Plant List and Revision of Indian Cucurbitaceae consider it a synonym of C. melo, and since it is a wild species with very short hairs on ovary, it is reasonable to include under subsp. agrestis var. agrestis. The hairs on ovary and not stem are significant in distinction. Thank you very much Sir.       Cucurbitaceae for identification :: Chennai :: : 3 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (6)
Please help me to identify this creeper herb found on fallow land.
The fruit is very bitter to taste but smells very much like Cucumber.
Date: 27 April 2015
Place: Kancheepuram dist., (Chennai outskirts)
Alt.: 14 m asl
Habitat: fallow land Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis (syn: C. trigonus; C. callosus), wild melon, Kachri, Selni, Chibar
Cucumis trigonus Roxb. = C. trigonis Roxb. = C. turbinatus Roxb. 2015JuneSK01/01 : 7 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (14)
Very scabrid, almost prickly, wild. Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis Thanks Sir, ironically same species in my earlier three threads have been placed under – 1) C. melo L., 2) C. melo L. subsp. melo and 3) Cucumis melo L. subsp. agrestis (Naudin) Pangalo var. agrestis Naudin! C. melo because most authors/databases (say The Plant List) don’t recognise any infraspecific taxa within C. melo
Thank you again Sir, but we need to follow any one of the three practices, one is under ‘A’, another is under ‘B’ and the third one is under ‘C’ misleading to me. I follow the last Thank you Sir, I will follow the same.
Fwd: Herb I’d from Bangladesh : 4 posts by 2 authors.
Found along the rail line, picture taken today (25.11.15) Please check if this thread helps efi page on Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis looks like Cucumis callosus
Cucurbitaceae For ID : MNP,Mumbai : 250116 : AK-7 : 07/07 : 3 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (1)
Cucumis Species seen at the Maharashtra Nature Park in Mumbai on 25/11/12. The plant had dried up, except for the small fruit. Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var agrestis, kachri
Cucurbitaceae Week: Revisiting Cucumis melo subsp. agrestris var. agrestris: Cucumis pubescens pl. validate: I hope this one should be Cucumis pebuscens differenciated by globose fruits usually not with very dark patches. It is supposed to be less bitter and after soaking in salt water can be eaten like cucumber. Seeds are employed in herpes. I hope some member can throw light on identity of this plant. This plant seems to be similar to one uploaded by …
Cucumis melo subsp. agrestris from Delhi, locally known as Kachri. The ID needs validation.
Watermelon? Yes … I had also similar doubts but not resembling my other two plants exactly. The leaves seem to be somewhat similar to Citrullus colocynthis but not flowers, flowers resemble C. lanatus (syn: C. vulgaris), but not leaves exactly. I am uploading both again for comparison. Members please comment. Attachments (4) As what I remember your pictures both flower and leaf resemble C lanatus. Here it is side view. You had posted top. Benincasa fistulosa (Stocks) H.Schaef. & S.S.Renner ?? please see this subsequent post of mine of the same plant Today one of my colleagues collected this plant from roadside. This is a wild climber and the ripe fruits are yellow, unlike the red Trchosanthes tricuspidata.
Is it the Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis as in efi thread ?
Species : UNKNOWN
Habit & Habitat : wild climber, roadside, scabrid, leaf surfaces rough
Date : 11/7/12
Place : Hooghly Perhaps these discussions throw some light on your plant Thank you for the links of two closely related varieties of Cucumis melo.
I think my species is same as the one posted by … at – efi thread and by you at – efi thread. I think the lobes of the leaf blade can vary according to age of the plant, the maturity of the shoot and the maturity of the leaves. I attach here three more images and the variation in leaf blades can be seen in the first two images.
Your 2nd plant at – efi thread, C. trigonous seems to be a little different.
As i searched the net i found –
So, it is likely to be Cucumis pubescens Willd. as have been suggested by you. forgot to attach the new images, here they are.
Cucurbitaceae for ID : Nasik : 06OCT18 : AK – 5 : 4 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (2) Efi page available at Appears close as per images at Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis as per comparative images at Cucumis
SK1629 07 Dec 2018 : 7 posts by 2 authors. Attachments (7)- around 650 kb each. Location : Kathmandu , Nepal
Altitude: 4500 ft.
Date: 26 October 2018
Habit : Cultivated
Which Cucurbitaceae ??
Pl. check comparative images at I could not match
To me appears close.
I guess your suggestion for ID is correct ! . SK 2951 08 September 2021: 8 very high res. images.
Location: West Nepal Altitude: 276m. Date: 10 August 2021 Habit : Wild Cucumis ….??? I think Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis as per images and details herein. I was also with this opinion but could not point out to the correct ID. It is given in the Checklist of Nepal. Cucumis melo L. and https://efloraofindia.com/2012/11/27/cucumis-melo-subsp-agrestis-var-agrestis/ same ?? Under C.melo there are many subspecies and varieties, which many consider all under C.melo. . Identification needed: 2 high res. images. I think close to images at Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis Cucumis melo L. syn : Cucumis melo var. agrestis Naudin ?? Yes Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis, leaves may be deeply lobed or not, locally known as Kachri, we have two types of Kachri in Delhi, Chhoto Kachri with fruit mostly shorter than 6 cm and Bari Kachri with fruit 6-9 cm long. . FOR VALIDATION :: Cucumis melo L. :: Waghbil, Thane :: Oct 7, 2007 · JUN23 DV328: 2 images. Cucumis melo L. … FOR VALIDATION
Waghbil, Thane :: Oct 7, 2007 · 2:03 PM IST :: about 3 m (10 ft) asl
I think close to images at Thank you very much, …, for pointing to this ID. I see that the posted plant is nearer to the subsp. and variety.
. Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii (Royle) Alef.
… treated as a synonym of Cucumis sativus L. … POWO
Waghbil, Thane, Maharashtra :: Sep 21, 2008 · 1:42 PM IST :: about 3 m (10 ft) asl Based on discussion in another post of mine, this must be Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. agrestis. .
  Request for correct name of Cucumis variety sold in North Karnataka: 2 images. This is my first post in this group and I have found your content very interesting.
I would like to know the correct scientific name of the variety of cucumber sold in open air vegetable mandi/market in Hubli city of North Karnataka, as shown in the attached photos.
It is called locally as ‘Gulla Sautikayi‘, it is more dry than cucumber, tasteless, short oval shaped and striped (in orange green and cream colours). We cook these to make a spicy accompaniment for roti.
I guessed it is a Cucumis melo variety but the seeds seem to resemble Cucumis sativus.
Would appreciate any help.
To me it appears close to images at I will look through the suggested webpages. Another possibilty is
https://efloraofindia.com/2016/11/23/cucumis-sativus-var-hardwickii/ https://www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/2021/12/16/cucumber-forever.html (it say Mangaluru southekayi (Malabar or Madras cucumber)) Leaves and other details will help in the final id.
Unfortunately I do not have pictures or plant habit, leaves, flowers etc.
May not be Cucumis sativus var. hardwickii as my photos show the fruits are smooth and have no spots/spines/tubercles, and they are not bitter.
Mine resemble Mangalore southekayi due to similarities in the skin colour and pattern, but are much smaller in size even though they seem to have matured already due to their yellowing skin.
I will continue to explore and research.
Cucumis melo var. agrestis I accept your suggestion as Cucumis melo var. agrestis .
References:
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It’s 100% a Cucumis melo because…
Cucumis melo are always bumpless (This includes the Cucumis melo complex, the closely related species of Cucumis melo such as C. callosus, C. trigonus, and even C. picocarpus although it’s outside the complex, it’s still crossable).
Cucumis sativus have evidence of bumps (Especially Noticeable on the Ovaries).
Funny part is by their fruits you shall know them literally applies here.