Muskmelon
Muskmelon, a trailing or climbing annual vine native to Asia. Its fruit is also called muskmelon. The ridged, somewhat hairy stems bear large, deeply indented leaves and small yellow flowers. The globular or oval fruit has a netted, smooth, or grooved rind. The fruit grows up to 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter and weighs from 2 to 9 pounds (1 to 4 kg). Its flesh varies from pale green to deep orange in color, and it is usually sweet and musky-odored. Muskmelon is low in calories and rich in vitamin A, and it yields small amounts of calcium and carbohydrates.
Muskmelons thrive on rich, well-drained soil in hot, dry climates. The seeds are usually planted in raised beds in hills five to seven feet (1.5 to 2 m) apart. The crop matures in 90 to 125 days.
The most common variety of muskmelon is the American cantaloupe, a type of netted, or nutmeg, melon. Other popular varieties are the late-ripening winter melons (casaba, Crenshaw, honeydew, and Persian) and the snake melon, which is grown chiefly as a curiosity.
The netted melon is Cucumis melo reticulatus; winter, C. m. inodorus; snake, C. m. flexuosus. All belong to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae.
Cantaloupes are netted muskmelons.