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Cucumis melo, also known as melon, is a species of Cucumis that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. The fruit is a pepo. The flesh is either sweet or bland, with or without an aroma, and the rind can be smooth (such as honeydew), ribbed (such as European cantaloupe), wrinkled (such as melon), or netted (such as American cantaloupe). However, there is no consensus about the usage of this term, as it can also be used as a specific name for the musky netted-rind American cantaloupe, or as a generic name for any sweet-flesh variety such the inodorous smooth-rind honeydew melon.
The origin of melons is not known. Research has revealed that seeds and were among the goods traded along the caravan routes of the Ancient World. Some botanists consider melons native to the Levant and Egypt, while others place their origin in Iran, India or Central Asia. Still others support an African origin; in modern times, wild melons can still be found in some African countries.
Melons prefer warm, well-fertilized soil with good drainage that is rich in nutrients, but are vulnerable to downy mildew and anthracnose. Disease risk is reduced by crop rotation with non-Cucurbitaceae crops, avoiding crops susceptible to similar diseases as melons. Cross pollination has resulted in some varieties developing resistance to powdery mildew. Insects attracted to melons include the cucumber beetle, melon aphids, melonworm moth and the pickleworm.
Not all varieties are sweet melons. The snake melon, also called the Armenian cucumber and Serpent cucumber, is a non-sweet melon found throughout Asia from Turkey to Japan. It is similar to a cucumber in taste and appearance. Outside Asia, snake melons are grown in the United States, Italy, Sudan and parts of North Africa, including Egypt. The snake melon is more popular in Arab countries.
Other varieties grown in Africa are bitter, cultivated for their edible seeds.
For commercially grown varieties certain features like protective hard netting and firm flesh are preferred for purposes of shipping and other requirements of commercial markets.
It was once a frequently cultivated plant in Tonga ( katiu) as a snack and its flowers used for leis, but has since been extirpated.
Melon was domesticated in West Asia and over time many developed with variety in shape and sweetness. Iran, India, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and China became centers for melon production. Melons were consumed in Ancient Greece and Rome.
File:Cucumis melo 1 (Piotr Kuczynski).jpg|Galia melon File:03-05-JPN202.jpg|Japanese "crown melon" intended as a high-priced gift: The pictured crown melon is 6300 Japanese yen, or about File:Squeredmelon inside001.jpg|'Squared melon' grown in Atsumi District, Aichi Japan, known as kakumero File:Armenian cucumbers.jpeg|The Armenian cucumber, despite the name, is actually a type of melon. File:Prokudin-Gorskii-15.jpg|Melon vendor in Samarkand (between 1905 and 1915) File:Shirouri.JPG|Oriental pickling melon File:Muskmelon Seeds.jpg|Muskmelon seeds
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