Cucumis melo aka Cantaloupe

Cucumis melo, commonly known as melon, is a species of Cucumis that has been cultivated into various varieties. The fruit, which is a pepo, can have a sweet or bland flesh with or without a musky aroma. The rind of the melon can be smooth, ribbed, wrinkled, or netted, depending on the variety. In North America, the sweet-flesh varieties are often referred to as muskmelons, including both the musky netted-rind types and the inodorous smooth-rind types. The term cantaloupe usually denotes the former type. However, in a narrower sense, muskmelon specifically refers to the musky netted-rind variety, while the true cantaloupe is a ribbed and often warty European type that is not commonly grown in North America. The origin of melons is still debated among botanists, with possible origins in the Levant, Egypt, Iran, India, Central Asia, or Africa. Some wild melon varieties can still be found in certain African countries. One type of melon is a cantaloupe cultivar that grows in greenhouses. It produces smaller, round fruit with distinct stripes, reaching up to 15cm in diameter. The flesh of this melon is pale green and very sweet. Another melon variety is a true French heirloom cantaloupe from the Poitou-Charentes region of western France. It has a mostly smooth skin, but can also have some netting. The fruits are petite, weighing between 2-3 lbs and about the size of a large grapefruit, making them perfect for sharing. The melon's hard, grey-green skin is vertically ribbed and protects dense, succulent, salmon-orange flesh that is unbelievably sweet and aromatic. The vines of this variety are compact and well-kept, making them suitable for smaller gardens and trellises.