Muskmelon Cucumis melo
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- KOO-koo-mis MEL-oh
- Description
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Cantaloupe is a warm season, annual climber in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae). This species, native to Africa, Arabian Peninsula, India, New Guinea and Australia, encompasses many of the edible melons. There are many domesticated kinds of melons, some of which have been cultivated for millennia. Another common name for cantaloupe is muskmelon, which comes from the musky odor the fruits may emit when cut open.
Cantaloupe needs full sun and neutral to acidic, moist soil with good drainage. It will grow in loam or clay, but will appreciate the addition of organic matter to thrive. Cantaloupe is typically supported by cages or trellises, but if there is enough space, it can be allowed to trail along the ground. It will climb 6 to 9 feet high and spread 1 to 3 feet wide. Propagate by seed. Plant seed outdoors after the last frost or start seed indoors four to six weeks prior to the average last frost date. Pick fruit when young; older fruit toughens as it matures.
The species is typically divided into a number of informal groups, most of which are cultigens, not known in the wild. These groups were formerly given taxonomic standing, but they are now subsumed with the species C. melo. Canteloupensis group (cantaloupe), Reticulatus group (netted or muskmelons), iIodorous group (honeydew), Flexuosus group (American cucumber), Chito group (mango melon or vine peach), Dudaim group (Queen Anne) and the Conomon group (Oriental pickling melon). The fruit in this species varies by cultivar in terms of shape, size, rind, texture, flavor, and flesh color, so gardeners have many choices.
Being a climbing vine, cantaloupe is suitable for growing on vertical spaces. They are also perfect for edible and cottage gardens. The cantaloupe plant attracts bees and other pollinators.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Plants in the cucumber family are susceptible to cucumber beetles and wilt, powdery mildew, downy mildew, gummy stem blight, and anthracnose disease.
The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common cucumis diseases as well as a factsheet on common insect pests and other problems.
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:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Vertical Spaces
- Landscape Theme:
- Cottage Garden
- Edible Garden
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Pollinators
