Cantalope Cucumis melo
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KOO-koo-mis MEL-oh
- Description
-
Cucumis melo, or Muskmelons, is a species that encompasses all melons, which are defined generally as a warm season climbing or scrambling vine with edible fruit in the Cucurbitaceae (cucumber) family. The species is typically divided into a number of varieties or subdivisions: canteloupensis (cantaloupe), reticulatus (netted or Persion melons), inodorous (late maturing melons), flexuosus (snake melon), chito (mangoes), dudaim (Queen Anne's pocket melon) and conomon (Asian pickling melon). The fruits in this species vary by cultivar in terms of shape, size, rind, texture, flavor and flesh color and provide the home gardener with many choices.
Muskmelons have sweeter more watery flesh than other members of the cucumber family. Melons are probably native of Asia, although it has been in cultivation for so long that its native habitat is lost in time. The common name muskmelon comes from the musky odor many of the fruits emit when cut open.
This annual vine needs full sun and well-drained, loose, moist, high organic matter soils. It will grow in clay, but likely will need organic amendment to thrive. Consistent soil moisture and warm, sunny conditions are essential for this frost tender plant. Muskmelons are typically supported by cages or trellises, but if there is enough space, they can be allowed to trail along the ground. Plant seeds outdoors after the last spring frost or start the seeds indoors in pots or other containers about 4-6 weeks prior to the last spring frost date. Pick fruits when young (older fruits toughen as they mature).
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:
Cucurbits are subject to many insect pests and diseases problems including cucumber beetles and wilt caused by cold weather stress.
VIDEO Created by Homegrown featuring Penny Perkins-Veazie, Professor and Postharvest Physiologist at NC State's Plants for Human Health Institute
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
-
var. cantalupensis
- var. chito
Mangoes. - var. conomon
Oriental pickling melon. - var. dudaim
Queen Anne
var. flexuosus
- var. reticulatus
Netted or musk melon with netted rind and musky sweet orange flesh.
Cantalopue
Armenian cucumber, slender green fruits, not sweet var. inodorous
Honeydew, Casaba - var. chito
- var. cantalupensis, var. chito, var. conomon, var. dudaim, var. flexuosus, var. inodorous, var. reticulatus
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
-
var. cantalupensis
- var. chito
Mangoes. - var. conomon
Oriental pickling melon. - var. dudaim
Queen Anne
var. flexuosus
- var. reticulatus
Netted or musk melon with netted rind and musky sweet orange flesh.
Cantalopue
Armenian cucumber, slender green fruits, not sweet var. inodorous
Honeydew, Casaba - var. chito
- var. cantalupensis, var. chito, var. conomon, var. dudaim, var. flexuosus, var. inodorous, var. reticulatus
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Cucumis
- Species:
- melo
- Family:
- Cucurbitaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Edible fruit.
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Africa, Arabian Peninsula, India, Australia
- Distribution:
- World wide
- Play Value:
- Attracts Pollinators
- Edible fruit
- Climbing Method:
- Scrambler
- Tendrils
- Edibility:
- Eaten fresh, wrapped in prosciutto, in salads, or as a dessert. Watery, but delicate, flavor. Avoid the seeds as the sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 9 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
-
-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Edible
- Vegetable
- Vine
- Warm Season Vegetable
- Habit/Form:
- Climbing
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Coarse
- Appendage:
- Tendrils
-
-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
-
-
Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- White
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Musky-scented, spherical to oblong berry with a rind (pepo), often furrowed with yellow, white or green flesh and many seeds. The rind may be green, yellow, tan, beige or white and the surface may be smooth, rough, warty, scaly, or netted. Seeds white, about 1/2 inch long, narrow. Seeds ripen in August and September.
-
-
Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Solitary
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Saucer
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- Bloom in July and August. Male or female, borne on the same plant (monoecious), often having some bisexual fowers, 1 inch across, with a five-parted corolla that is flat and circular in outline. The male flowers are usually borne in clusters, while the female flowers are usually borne solitary.
-
-
Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Elliptical
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Stalked leaves, 3 to 3 inches across, rounded to egg-shaped or nearly kidney-shaped with a rounded tip, often five-angled, sometimes shallowly three- to seven-lobed, wavy-toothed, hairy to somewhat rough.
-
-
Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Angular
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Grooved to angled, softly hairy to hairless
-
-
Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Vertical Spaces
- Landscape Theme:
- Cottage Garden
- Edible Garden
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Pollinators