Melon is a term used for various members of the Cucurbitaceae family with fleshy fruit. Melon can refer to either the plant or the fruit, which is a false berry. Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of muskmelons. The plant grows as a vine. This fruit is often mistakenly considered a vegetable, but recent research on biological origin and evolution, as well as historical usage has definitely set it as a -fruit-, even though it can be called a "culinary vegetable".

Culinary vegetables

• Genus Momordica Bitter melon
• Genus Benincasa Winter melon

Culinary fruit

• Genus Citrullus - Watermelon
• Genus Cucumis
• C. metuliferus - Horned melon
• C. melo
• C. melo cantalupensis. Skin that is rough and warty, not netted. European Cantaloupe and Algerian melon.
• C. melo inodorus. Canary melon, Casaba, Kolkhoznitsa melon, Hami melon, Honeydew, Navajo Yellow, Piel de Sapo/Santa Claus, Sugar melon, tigger (tiger) melon, and Japanese melons.
• C. melo reticulatus, true muskmelons, with netted skin. Examples include Bailan melon, , North American "cantaloupe", Galia, Ogen, Persian, Sharlyn melons.
• Modern crossbred varieties, e.g. Crenshaw (Casaba X Persian), Crane (Japanese X N.A. cantaloupe)

Oilseed sources

• Cucumeropsis mannii

See also

• Melon baller

References

• Mabberley, D.J. 1987. The Plant Book. A portable dictionary of the higher plants. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 706 pp. ISBN 0-521-34060-8.
• Magness, J.R., G.M. Markle, C.C. Compton. 1971. Food and feed crops of the United States. Interregional Research Project IR-4, IR Bul. 1 (Bul. 828 New Jersey Agr. Expt. Sta.).

Gallery

External links

• Cucumis melo L. – Purdue University, Center for New Crops & Plant Products.
• Sorting Cucumis names – Multilingual multiscript plant name database
• The Cook's Thesaurus: Melons – List of photographed varieties of melons
• Welcome to Delicious Organics – List of photographed varieties of Melons and Watermelons