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• General & History
• Melon Terms
• Varieties
• Health Considerations - and nutrition
• Links - to information on Melons

There are two broad categories of melon and one odd one.

• Muskmelons:   C. Cucumis melo, the same genus as Cucumbers, probably originated in Western Asia (Persia and surrounding). These melons have thick walls and hollow centers containing loose seeds and fibers.
• Watermelons:   C. Citrullus lanatus, of African origin. These melons have solid, almost uniform flesh all the way through with seeds embedded in the flesh.
• Horned Melons   C. metuliferus, of African origin and internally built more like a Tindora Gourd than like any of the other melons.

Melons are generally eaten mature when the flesh becomes sweet, which contrasts with gourds, squash and cucumbers which are eaten immature. The rind is tough but not hard and the flesh is always watery. Most are eaten raw but some are cooked, particularly in soup. Most have thick walls and a hollow center containing seeds, but the Watermelons are solid and uniform all the way through with seeds embedded in the flesh. Most melons will store at room temperature maybe a week and not much longer refrigerated, but there are a few, such as the Hami and Christmas melons that will store much longer at room temperature.

• Sutures - grooves running from the flower end to the stem end.
• Netting - a raised pattern of lines in a netlike pattern, generally light tan in color, These are very intense on the familiar muskmelon.
• Slip - dropping the stem when ripe. A melon that normally slips, such as a muskmelon, that has some stem or tears where the stem was is picked too unripe. Many melon types do not slip so some stem or stem tear is normal for those.
• Winter melon - commercial term for late maturing varieties, not to be confused with the "Winter Melon" seen (usually cut in large chunks) in most Asian markets, which is actually a gourd.

All Melons (with the exception of Watermelons) are of the same species, C. melo, so can be interbred to create new varieties. There are, however, several recognized C. melo< varietal groups.

• Cantalupensis group (now includes Reticulatus) have an often netted rind and aromatic flesh ranging from salmon to orange but sometimes green. These include the muskmelon (called Cantaloupe in the U.S.), true cantaloupes, Persian melons, and others. These melons slip their stems when ripe. Reticulatus designates the netted rind melons as distinct from true cantaloupes which are sutured but not netted.
• Inodorous group: late-maturing melons called "winter melons" in U.S. agriculture, including crenshaws, casabas, honeydews, Juan Canary, Santa Claus. These melons have non-aromatic flesh usually green or white but sometimes orange. They do not slip their stems when ripe.
• Flexuosus group: the snake melons, or snake cucumbers (not to be confused with the snake gourds).
• Conomon group: Oriental pickling melons. Generally smooth, cylindrical, green, white or striped, with white flesh.
• Dudaim group: mango melon, pomegranate melon, Queen Annes melon. These are small and round to oval, light green, yellow or striped with firm yellowish-white flesh. Not seen in the USA.
• Mormordica group: phoot and snap melons. The fruit is oval or cylindrical with smooth skin that cracks at maturity. Not seen in the USA.

Afghan Melon - [reticulatus group]
This melon is similar to the Persian Melon but greener with rather sparser netting. They are only moderately sweet so should be selected with a fair amount of flex at the flower end to assure ripeness. I haven't seen these for awhile, but they're sure to become more common in the future. When the U.S. pulls the troupes out of Afghanistan anyone who cooperated will have to leave the country and they'll head straight for Los Angeles where every other ethnic group has settled. Soon they'll be opening restaurants and demanding Afghan melons in the markets.

Ananas Melon - [Middle Eastern melon]
An 3 to 4 pound oval melon with netting similar to a Muskmelon but finer over a pale green to orangish rind. The flesh is usually white but can be pink-orange and is aromatic and very sweet.

Armenian Cucumber - [Snake Cucumber / Melon, Uri (Japan), Metki, Mikti (Near East), Wild Cucumber (commercial), Cucumis melo var. flexuosus]
Market size varies widely from 6 inches long and 1-1/4 inches diameter to 15 inches long and 2-1/2 inches diameter but they can grow to a yard long and over 3 inches in diameter. They are very much like a cucumber in structure and in taste if raw. Smaller sizes are often pickled and the resulting pickles have a rather different flavor from cucumber pickles. Armenian cucumbers are seasonally available fresh in Southern California and are grown as a garden vegetable in Florida and other suitable areas, but pickled they can be found in any market serving a Western Asian or Near Eastern community.

Bitter Melon
It's not a melon, it's a gourd - see Bitter Melon

Canary Melon - [Juan Canary, Jaune des Canaries, Amarillo C. melo (Indorus group)]
This bright yellow mellon weighs around 6 pounds and is pointy at the ends like an American football. It's soft, nearly white flesh is mild flavored but very sweet when ripe. Select melons that are springy but not mushy at the flower end. This melon is a yellow variety of the Piel de Sapo, a melon popular in Spain.

Cantaline - [Kandy]
This cross between a cantaloupe and a honeydew is grown more in South America than the US, but at least one US grower markets them under the name Kandy. The photo specimen was 5 inches diameter and weighed 2-1/4 pound. Very sweet with a light cantaloupe flavor. The skin is smooth and nearly white when ripe - look also for some give at the flower end.

Cantaloupe - True
The true Cantaloupe is seldom grown outside southern Europe, mostly Italy. Unlike the Muskmelon the skin is hard, deeply grooved, warty and lacks the orderly netting of the Muskmelons. See Dulcinea "Tuscan Style" Cantaloupe and Muskmelon for melons available in the U.S..

Cantaloupe - Muskmelon [var reticulatus]
The common market "Cantaloupe" in the U.S. is actually a Muskmelon, not a True Cantaloupe.

Cantaloupe - Athena
A preferred Muskmelon for growing in the Eastern U.S. because they mature early, this oval melon has coarse netting over a yellow-orange rind and is usually lightly grooved. The flesh of this 5 to 6 pound melon is yellow-orange and firm.

Cantaloupe - Dulcinea "Tuscan Style"
This melon is a specialty of Dulcinea Farms, a large melon grower in California. It is deeply sutured like a True Cantaloupe and a little bit warty, but has the mesh pattern of a Muskmelon so looks a lot like an Eastern muskmelon. I'm not sure what it is a hybrid of but it's about as close to a real Cantaloupe as you're going to find in this country. A very sweet melon with a thin rind.

Casaba Melon [C. melo (Inodorus group)]
This moderate size oval mellon (4 to 7 pounds) has a wrinkly skin and somewhat pointed ends. The white, delicately flavored flesh is quite sweet if the melon is fully ripe, at which time the flower end (end shown in photo) has plenty of give but is still springy. This melon has no odor so that isn't an indicator of ripeness, and it does not slip when ripe so stems or stem tears are not an indicator of unripeness. The Casaba melons originated in western Asia and in the U.S. is grown mainly in California.

Cavalon Melon
A French variety of the True Cantaloupe from the town of Cavalon. It is considered very highly for flavor and is now grown in various places around the world including the USA, but I haven't seen it in Southern California yet. The flesh is a light orange and they are said to be ripe when a small crack appears at the top.

Charentais Melon - [French, French Charentais, Chaca, Italian]
A small European melon, globe shaped with a smooth to slightly netted gray or gray-blue rind with distinct grooves. The flesh is orange. They are commonly used as a breakfast melon and will serve two cut in half.

Christmas Melon [Santa Claus, Piel de Sapo, Rochet, Inodorus group]
These 5 to 8 pound football (US) shaped melons have a mottled yellow or green rind and pale green or pale orange flesh depending on variety. The photo specimen was 8-3/4 inches long, 6 inches diameter and weighed 5 pounds. They are very sweet when ripe and are similar to or identical to Piel de Sapo with some varieties looking exactly like that melon and others smoother with some to quite a lot of netting as in the photo. I list the two separately because I've never seen a photo of piel de sapo with netting. These melons get the name Christmas or Santa Claus from their excellent keeping properties - even to Christmas stored in a cool place.

Citron Melon [Pie melon (U.S.), Tsanna Citrullus lanatus var. citroides]
This melon is thought to be ancestral to the Watermelon and originated in Africa. It now grows wild in Baja California though no one knows how it got there. It is also both cultivated and considered a weed in much of the Southern U.S. though rarely in pure form there due to accidental cross breeding with commercial watermelons.

This melon is not to be confused with the citrus fruit Citron, though they are both used mainly candied or as preserves and pickles. Citron melon is very high in pectin so is a desirable ingredient for preserves. The flesh is much stiffer and more strongly flavored than that of watermelon. Details & Cooking.
Photo by Kazvorpal distributed under GNU Free Documentation License version 1.2 or later.

Crenshaw Melon [Cranshaw, C. melo (Inodorus group)]
This is a hybrid between the Casaba and Persian melons that weighs in at 5 pounds or higher. It is a bit flattened at the stem end giving it an acorn shape. The skin, though still wrinkly is a bit smoother than the Casaba. Yellow when ripe, older varieties have green flesh and newer ones have salmon pink flesh.

Galia Melon
An Israeli melon with a netted rind similar to a Muskmelon but paler in color and not as distinct. The flesh is pale green to white, similar to a Honeydew, and has a banana like aroma. These slip their stems when ripe so any stem or stem tears indicate picking before fully ripe.

Gallicum - see Ogen Melon.

Hami Melon - [reticulatus group]
This type of "Chinese muskmelon" originated around Hami in the Uighur lands of Central Asia now claimed by China as Xinjiang Uygur A. R. provence. Several varieties are now grown in California and Oregon as well as in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and other adjacent Central Asian countries.

Honeydew Melon
A round melon with an almost white rind which may be slightly green or slightly yellow. The flesh may be white, pale green or pale orange, firm and similar to the Muskmelon, but sweeter and with a milder flavor. See also Golden Honeydew for a related variety.

Honeydew - Golden
A yellow version of the Honeydew. The one in the photo weighs 6# and is 8" long. The flesh is white and quite sweet even when still a little crisp.

Japanese Melon - [ reticulatus group]
A round to slightly oval melon with strong netting on a green rind. They are generally 3 to 4 pounds with very sweet white to green flesh. This melon does not slip so stems or stem tears are to be expected. In Japan these are "gift melons", greenhouse grown, very expensive and expensively packaged (and stem tears would be unthinkable), but in California they can be field grown.
Photo by Bobak Ha'Eri distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5.

Japanese Melon #2
This melon was procured at a Southern California farmer's market from a Japanese grower who described it only as "Japanese Melon". Clearly it's not the type generally known by that name (see above) but I haven't yet found any other information. It has excellent keeping properties (these melons sat around on my kitchen floor for nearly 2 months before I got around to photographing them). The rind is very thin, the flesh is crisp and moderately sweet and the stems were not slipped.

Kiwano - [#4302, Horned Melon, Melano, Horned Cucumber, Jelly melon, English tomato, Metulon (France), Cucumis metuliferus]
This odd African melon is grown in the Kenya, Israel, New Zealand and the U.S. as a decorative fruit and in Australia as a noxious weed. Now grown commercially in California they have a long shelf life and are easily shipped so you will find a few in supermarkets but often at prices that will leave you gasping. The photo specimen was 4-3/4 inches long, 2.8 inches diameter and weighed 11-3/4 ounces, from a small chain supermarket for $2.99 each or $4.07 / pound. Major supermarkets may charge as much as $4.99 per melon.

They are sold mainly as a curiosity and are not expected to be a viable food crop until varieties with a higher sugar content are developed. Currently they have a light refreshing flavor but are not real sweet. It's the seed mass you eat as there is very little edible flesh inside the hard rind. Note: seed merchants are also selling purely decorative varieties which look about the same but are very toxic. You won't eat those by accident because the toxin is extremely bitter. Details and Cooking

Korean Melon
A round to slightly oval smooth yellow skinned melon usually found in Korean groceries. These are "gift melons", carefully grown to be blemish free and even in California sell for around $2/pound when in season. The photo example weighed 2-1/4 pounds. The stem does not slip so some stem is included (a stem tear would be an unacceptable blemish). The flesh is a very pale yellow-orange, fairly crisp and quite sweet. They are ripe when there is some springiness at the flower end.

Mediterranean Melon
An oval melon with a slightly netted sutureless rind which ripens to yellow-gold with green splotches. The soft flesh is white with a touch of pink at the seed cavity.

Muskmelon, Eastern - [reticulatus group]
A round melon that is little seen outside the growing area in the eastern U.S. because it doesn't ship well. Unlike the common Western Muskmelon these have both netting and sutures. The flesh is orange (some green fleshed varieties are grown) and they have a distinctive aroma when fully ripe. These slip, so a stem or tears in the fruit where the stem was indicate it was picked unripe and will have inferior flavor.

Muskmelon, Western - [Cantaloupe, reticulatus group]
This round melon is commonly called "Cantaloupe" in the U.S., but is not a True Cantaloupe. These melons have very dense netting and no sutures, orange flesh, a distinct aroma when fully ripe and the familiar muskmelon flavor. The flesh is quite firm even when fully ripe, the rind is strong and they keep a couple of weeks making them the preferred muskmelon in U.S. commerce. These slip, so a stem or tears in the fruit where the stem was indicate it was picked unripe and will have inferior flavor.

Ogen Melon - [Gallicum]
A round, 3 to 5 lb melon with netted and sutureless rind which turns golden yellow when mature. The flesh is green and highly aromatic. This melon slips its stem when ripe so there should be no stems or stem tears.

Oriental Melon - [Korean melon]
A small pale yellow melon with shallow white sutures. It's commonly found in Chinese and Korean groceries. They weigh about 1 pound and have a moderately sweet white to pale peach flesh. The rind is very thin and the seeds very small, so they can be eaten without peeling or seeding.

Pepino Melon
Not a melon but a nightshade berry related to the tomato. See Pepino

Persian Melon - [Reticulatus group]
Similar in appearance to a Muskmelon but larger (generally around 5 pounds) with sparser netting over a greener background. There are also more spherical varieties but the elongated variety is the one most grown and sold in Southern California. The pink-orange flesh is somewhat milder than Muskmelon. Unlike Muskmelons the Persian does not slip it's stem when ripe, so a bit of stem or stem tears do not mean it was picked too green.

Piel de Sapo - [Christmas Melon, C. melo (Indorus group)]
Then name, literally "toad skin", describes the green blotched coloration of this melon. It is very popular in Spain and grown in Central and South America for export to Spain in the off season but is only just beginning to appear in other European markets. In the U.S. it is represented by a yellow version, the Canary Melon and by the Christmas Melon. Depending on variety piel de sapo have skins from slightly bumpy to randomly sutured but I've seen no pictures of any with netting. California Christmas melons are often lightly to moderately netted so I have listed them separately.

Rochet
An oval melon with a green to greenish-yellow lightly netted rind and greenish white flesh. See Christmas Melon for a melon of this type.

Santa Claus Melon - see Christmas Melon.

Sharlynne Melon
In appearance it looks like an elongated orangish musk melon but the flesh inside is light green and tastes much like a honeydew melon. The seed mass of a ripe melon is often completely liquid and can be poured out.

Watermelon - [Citrullus lanatus]
Watermelons originated in southern Africa but were already grown as a crop in Egypt 5000 years ago and are now planted throughout the world. China got them in the 10th century CE and is now the largest producer. They were brought to North America in the 16th century where California, Georgia, Arizona and Texas are the major producers.

Watermelon fruit is unlike the Cucumus melons of Western Asia in that they are not hollow in the center but have a uniform pulp throughout. Many sizes have been developed (the examples here are 22 pounds for the large and 3-3/4 pounds for the small) and a number of colors. Yellow and white are fine for decorative accents, but as usual I recommend the standard red color as the best tasting,

Seedless Watermelons are not actually without seeds, but the seeds are all or mostly immature, white and very soft when the melon is ripe. Making a seedless watermelon is quit a feat of genetic engineering, but personally I don't see the point - I've always just swallowed the seeds anyway so they don't bother me. I find the standard watermelon to have better flavor and texture than the manipulated ones.

The ancestral Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var citroides), known as the Citron Melon, is still extant and is now wild in Southern and Baja California, though nobody knows how it got there. The white flesh is so firm it's sort of "rind all the way through" but its high pectin content makes it popular for preserves. Details and Cooking

Winter Melon - see Ash Gourd.

Melons are non-toxic, non-fat and low in calories, but due to their very high water content they have modest nutritional value. Orange fleshed melons are fairly high in vitamin A, folate and potassium but green or white fleshed melons have little but potassium.

• C1 - Cucurbit Botanical Info. - Cucurbit.org
• C2 - Melons - Shippensburg Sentinel (PA)
• C3 - Melons - Oregon State University