Fuzzy melon (Benincasa hispida var. chieh-gua How.)

Fuzzy or hairy melon is also called Chinese squash or moqua. Mature fruits of some Benincasa 

Chinese preserving melon. These can be stored for many months and are prepared stuffed and 

baked and in soups.  

The immature fuzzy melon fruits have a delicious flavor, stronger and more distinctive than than 

of immature summer squash, although composition is similar to that of summer squash (

Table 1

Flavor can change during storage, with the fuzzy melon taking on an acidic, less agreeable flavor 

(

Table 4

The diversity and antiquity of cultivars in China suggest that this crop may be indigenous to 

southern China (Yang and Walters 1992). Cultivars of B. hispida are classified on the basis of 

wax formation on the mature fruit, fruit size, and shape and pubescence of the immature fruits, 

from which its common name is derived. Generally, separate cultivars are used for immature 

vegetable production and for mature fruit production (Yang and Walters 1992). One vegetable 

type has fruits which are cylindrical and roundish with many bristle-like trichomes on the 

epidermis. The other (jointed gourd) has immature fruits which are narrowed in the center 

(dumbbell shaped) with their length 2-3 times their width. Small solid green fruit are the best; the 

younger the fruit, the firmer the flesh.  

Fuzzy melon is a vigorous annual vine which is usually allowed to spread over the ground like a 

pumpkin or winter squash. It can also be grown upright, trellised. The immature fruits can have 

skin colour of various shades of green, depending on variety; all have white flesh. They may be 

picked within 1 week of flowering, but should not be harvested too mature. Once harvested, the 

fuzzy melon is susceptible to physical damage but is moderately perishable (

Table 2

, 

3

, 

4

); it is 

commonly picked and packed in wooden containers of 10 kg or more for commercial handling 

(

Fig. 4

).  

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