Melon Pear Fruit Plant (Solanum caripense)

Common Names: Tzimbalo, Melon Pear

Botanical Name: Solanum caripense

General Information:

Evergreen herby shrub, Popularly cultivated in South America. Bears apricot-sized, purple and cream-striped fruits

Melon pear, or pepino melon, is native to South America, particularly Peru and Chile. The fruit is not a new introduction and has been grown in the warmest parts of the United States.

Fruits are pleasantly tart, resembling a melon. Easy to grow from seeds and fruits within a few months, it closely resembles the related pepino

The melon pear fruit is a small shrub, evergreen, reaching up to 3 ft tall. Flowers are white and purple, similar to other plants in the Solanaceae family, like potato flowers.

The ripe fruit has a yellow-cream skin with dark purple stripes and succulent, moderately sweet flesh, similar to a melon pear.

Health Benefits:

Source material for the isolation of MAP30 proteins, effective against tumors, AIDS, and other viruses.

MAP30 found in bitter melon is used for patients with herpes, inhibiting virus reproduction.

Reported to help in the treatment of diabetes, containing compounds that lower blood sugar levels.

Used for treating low dry coughs, bronchitis, throat cancers, and topically for skin swellings.

Cultivation Information:

Bloom Time/Fruiting: 6 months

Maintenance Required: Moderate