Thorn Melon

Thorn melons are a species of highly desert adapted melon native to the Ayefor desert. They have been a traditional food for the local beachcombing tribes and an occasional water source for desert nomads through the ages, and are often gathered or occasionally cultivated by the poorer denizens of Ayefor.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Thorn melon bushes are low, leafless tangles of green branches covered in large thorns. The plant's flowers are small, fleshy and green, often mistaken for leaves. The melons themselves are hand sized and also covered in small thorn like protrusions. They are green in color throughout most of the growing period, then ripen to a pale yellow. Inside, they are filled with a soft, sour, watery pulp and fingernail sized oval seeds. The roots of the plant can go very deep, and stands of thorn melon bushes are sometimes used as an indicator of where to dig a well in the desert.

Ecology and Habitats

The thorn melon is highly adapted to growing in the desert, being entirely leafless but with every other part of the plant, including the flowers and immature melons, being green and photosynthetic. It grows naturally along the coast near Ayefor.

Additional Information

Domestication

There has been some limited cultivation of thorn melons, however given the scarcity of water for irrigation those who can afford to irrigate tend to choose more exotic, tasty and valuable crops over the native flora.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Both the pulp and seeds of the thorn melon are edible, and desert foragers often simply cut the melon open and consume it by sucking or scooping it from the rind, seeds and all. The most common preparations in Ayefor are to strain the pulp through a loosely woven basket-like sieve and either eat/drink the pulp immediately like a soup or beverage, or spread it on cloths to dry in the sun into a kind of chewy fruit leather. The seeds are saved, roasted and eaten as a snack or used as a topping or garnish on other dishes.