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Praecitrullus fistulosus
Cucurbitaceae FAMILY

Praecitrullus fistulosus

Praecitrullus fistulosus

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitAnnual Climber
Growth—

Squash melon is mainly cultivated in the tropical lowlands, at elevations from sea-level up to approximately 1,000 metres[1]. It likes warm, sunny conditions of 25 - 30°c in the daytime and 18°c or more during the night. It performs less well in cooler and humid areas[1]. Prefers an organic-rich sandy loam and a very sunny position[2, 3, 4, 5]. Prefers light or sandy soils where its roots can penetrate easily[1]. Moderately fertile to fertile soil is required for early closure of the vegetative cover[1]. The fruits are ready to harvest in 13 - 15 weeks from sowing, depending on temperature and growing conditions[1]. Up to 4 fruits of about 500g each can be harvested per plant. In India, an average yield of 10 tonnes per hectare is reported[1]. There are some named varieties[6].

Propagation

Seed - can be sown in situ or into containers for planting out later[5]. Germination takes place within 7 days[1]. If using containers, either put 2 - 3 seeds in each pot and thin to the best plant, or prick out the seedlings into individual pots of rich soil as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow them on fast and plant them out when about 10 - 14cm tall[5]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Praecitrullus+fistulosus>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  2. [2]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  3. [3]The Book of Edible Nuts. — Rosengarten. jnr. F. · Walker & Co. · 1984 · ISBN 0802707699 ↩︎A very readable and comprehensive guide. Well illustrated.
  4. [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  5. [5]Vegetables in the Tropics — Tindall. H. D. · MacMillan, Oxford. · 1983 · ISBN 0-333-24268-8 ↩︎An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
  6. [6]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  7. [7]Flora of Pakistan — http://www.efloras.org ↩︎As of 2006, there is not much information on habitats available, but it is being developed and promises to be an excellent resource.