Paddy melon explained

Paddy melon is a common name for two species of plants in the melon family which are invasive in Australia:^[1]

• Citrullus lanatus, a sprawling plant with fruits much larger than a golf ball, a weedy form of the cultivated watermelon
• Cucumis myriocarpus, a sprawling plant with fruits smaller than a golf ball. Cucumis myriocarpus, is a summer weed belonging to the cucurbit family, is an annual plant that commonly invades fallow fields and pastures. Its presence leads to a decrease in moisture levels available for winter cereal crops, resulting in diminished crop yields and lower pasture quality.^[2]

Notes and References

1. May 1958 . Weeds of Western Australia - Paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus Naud.) . Journal of Department of Agriculture . 8 . Western Australia, Series 3 . 321-323.
2. Shaik . Razia S. . Burrows . Geoffrey E. . Urwin . Nigel A. R. . Gopurenko . David . Lepschi . Brendan J. . Weston . Leslie A. . 2017-02-01 . The biology and management of prickly paddy melon (Cucumis myriocarpus L.), an important summer annual weed in Australia . Crop Protection . 92 . 29–40 . 10.1016/j.cropro.2016.10.005 . 0261-2194.