What is "winter melon"

n. 1 A vine of the genus ''Benincasa'' cultivated throughout Asia. 2 A green, fuzzy melon fruit with sweet white flesh, which grows on this vine.

1. n. any of a variety of muskmelon vines having fruit with a smooth white rind and white or greenish flesh that does not have a musky smell [syn: Persian melon, honeydew melon, winter melon vine, Cucumis melo inodorus]

2. the fruit of the winter melon vine; a green melon with pale green to orange flesh that keeps well

The winter melon, also called ash gourd, white gourd, winter gourd, tallow gourd Chinese preserving melon is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature.

It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. The fruit is fuzzy when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that is sweet when eaten. By maturity, the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating, giving rise to the name wax gourd, and providing a long shelf life. The melon may grow as large as 80 cm in length. Although the fruit is referred to as a "melon," the fully grown crop is not sweet. Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, the winter melon is widely grown throughout Asia.

Winter melon is also a common name for members of the Inodorus cultivar group of the muskmelon (Cucumis melo L), more commonly known as casaba or honeydew melons.