Muskmelon

(botany) Cucumis melo. The edible, fleshy, globular to long-tapered fruit of a trailing annual plant of the order Violales; surface is uniform to broadly sutured to wrinkled, and smooth to heavily netted, and flesh is pale green to orange; varieties include cantaloupe, Honey Dew, Casaba, and Persian melons.

The edible fruit of Cucumis melo, belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, as do other vine crops such as cucumber, watermelons, pumpkin, and squash. The muskmelon appears to be indigenous to Africa. See also Cantaloupe; Honey Dew melon; Persian melon; Violales.

The plants are annual, trailing vines, with three to five runners. The runners produce short fruiting branches, which bear the perfect flowers and later the fruits. Muskmelons maturing on the vine without becoming overripe are superior in quality to those harvested immature. The sugar content, flavor, and texture of the fresh flesh improves very rapidly as the fruit approaches maturity. When mature, the melon is sweet, averages 6 to 8% sugar, and has a slight to distinctly musky odor and flavor, depending upon cultivar and environment. The flesh is rich in potassium, in vitamin C and, when deep orange, also in vitamin A.