Nara Melon : The nara melon (pronounced /[ᵑǃara/) is a species of melon savage which grows in desert regions of Namibia.
Botanical name: Acanthosicyos horridus - Family of Cucurbits.
Description: The plant appears in the form of bush more or less dense. Only the jeunes rods have leaves, the oldest ones do not have them. A pied !nara can live 100 years and cover up to 1 m500. Its taproot go get itwater in the water table. If the !nara is covered by sand carried by the winds, it is able to free itself and continue its growth.
Use: The fruit edible weighs approximately 900 g. Its pulp contains a lot of water and it oranges when the fruit is ripe.
The !nara fruits are harvested by local populations, particularly the Topnaar, from February to April and August to September.
An insect of the cicada genus, Diadematus acanthoproctus, feeds on the plant, moving at night between the different bushes.
Among the Topnaars, each family of the lower valley of Kuiseb next to Walvis Bay owns a number of subjects that are considered private property, which is not the case for the land where they grow. A family only has the right to harvest the plants that belong to it.
The very specific ecological needs of the plant do not allow it to be cultivated, but research in this direction is underway. Namibia. Scientists are working with the Topnaars to sustainably expand existing !nara populations.
fruits are also consumed by hyenas and jackals which quenched with.
Other uses: Some populations derive a sort of beer from the fruit. Others use roots to develop medicines.
The many and large seeds du fruit Peuvent être consumed dry (a bit like noix). We can also draw from itedible oil.
