Solanum muricatum aka Pepino

Solanum muricatum, also known as pepino dulce or sweet cucumber, is an evergreen shrub native to South America. It is cultivated for its sweet edible fruit, which resembles a melon in color and has a flavor that combines honeydew and cucumber. The fruit has a smooth creamy yellow skin with purplish stripes and is egg-shaped. Although the plant may look like a ground cover, it is actually a bushy perennial half-hardy shrub with evergreen leaves and purple and white flowers. Solanum muricatum is closely related to other nightshades like tomatoes and eggplants. It is commonly found in markets in Colombia, Kenya, Bolivia, Peru, and Chile, but its delicate nature makes it less suitable for long-distance travel. Attempts to cultivate and export the fruit have been made in New Zealand, Turkey, Mauritius, and Chile. This frost-tender species can be grown as a freestanding bush or trained to grow up a trellis, wall, or fence in a sunny position.