Groundmelon, also known as milkmelon or mamil, is a common wild plant. Both its fruits and stems can be used as medicine and have high medicinal value. It is a drought-tolerant plant, so it is more common in the northern regions. Let's learn more about groundmelon.
[What is Groundmelon?]
Groundmelon is a perennial herbaceous drought-tolerant plant that thrives in sandy and gravelly soils. It grows plump, resembling loofah, and is commonly known as groundflower or milkmelon in rural areas.
It can be found in sandy and gravelly soils, forest edges, grasslands, wastelands, slopes, and along roadsides in northeastern, northern, northwestern, and southern parts of China.
Groundmelon is more common in the north and less common or even absent in the south. It is a drought-tolerant plant that typically grows in grassland vegetation. It prefers sandy and gravelly soils and can be found in wastelands or along the edges of fields in rural areas.
Groundmelon has an interesting appearance, resembling a water droplet. It tapers gradually at both ends, with a bulging middle, like a spindle.
The stem of groundmelon is relatively slender, but it has a soft texture and low degree of lignification. Some livestock, such as goats, camels, and sheep, like to eat groundmelon.
[How to Eat Groundmelon?]
The fruit of groundmelon is edible when it is fresh. It has a texture similar to that of pine needles, with a cotton-like interior containing some moisture. It has a slightly sweet taste.
When groundmelon gets old, the entire shell loses moisture and cracks open, causing the hairy seeds inside to fall off. If it is too old, it cannot be eaten anymore because the cotton-like substance has turned into a cotton-like texture with no moisture.
You can think of it as similar to the seeds of kapok, which are also long and oval-shaped and have a cotton-like substance inside.
Groundmelon is abundant in grasslands, and camels and sheep like to eat its young fruits. It is a good plant for feeding livestock.
The young fruits of groundmelon can be eaten raw. They have a fragrant aroma, crispy and sweet taste, and are nutritionally rich. They are a very green and healthy wild fruit.
[How to Plant Groundmelon?]
Groundmelon is a drought-tolerant plant that can grow in various grassland vegetation, ranging from typical grasslands to grassland deserts in northern China.
It mainly grows in sandy and gravelly soils and can also grow in loamy soils. It thrives on slopes, sand dunes, dry valleys, wastelands, and fields at elevations of 200-2000 meters.
Groundmelon has strong adaptability to the environment and has characteristics such as cold resistance, heat resistance, resistance to infertile and harsh conditions, resistance to strong light, and easy management.
It naturally grows on forest edges, grassy areas, rocky slopes, and sandy beaches, and can be planted in general sandy and loamy soils, along water ditches, corners of fields, and between large crops.
It grows well on fertile soil. Under shaded conditions, the plants grow vigorously, with green leaves and tender fruits, making it suitable for intercropping with large early-maturing crops.
