18 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
MUSKMELONS 
During the past few years numerous inquiries have been 
received at the Garden concerning the origin and names of 
the many varieties of muskmelons, and accordingly this 
article has been prepared with the idea of clearing up the 
confusion which seems to exist regarding the fruit. 
The terms muskmelon and cantaloup are used in different 
parts of the country to designate entirely different kinds of 
melons. In the South the term eantaloup generally refers to 
all the varieties of muskmelons, whereas in the North it is 
more narrowly restricted to the larger, smooth, yellow-fleshed 
melon. In any case the use of ‘‘cantaloup’’ instead of ‘‘musk- 
melon’’ as a general term is incorrect, since all authorities 
agree that the cantaloup is only one of the subdivisions of the 
muskmelon. It is the general belief that many of the newer 
melons on the market, such as the Casaba and Honey Dew, are 
hybrids produced by a crossing of distinct species. This is 
not the case, however, since all true muskmelons have origi- 
nated from a single botanical species, Cucumis Melo, and there 
is probably no other plant which has produced such a variety 
of forms. In this respect it resembles the chrysanthemum, in 
which great variation has been obtained by cultivating and 
selecting and hybridizing with but a single, or at most two, 
species, and is unlike the rose whose numerous varieties have 
been produced from a great number of distinct botanical 
species. 
One of the most widespread beliefs is that the muskmelon 
and the cucumber readily cross and that if the two are grown 
in close proximity the pollen from the cucumber flower will 
have a deleterious effect upon the melon. Strangely enough, 
there has never been any report of the effect of the muskmelon 
pollen on the cucumber fruit, although one would expect the 
effect of crossing these two plants to be manifested in both 
directions. As a matter of fact, while the muskmelon and 
the cucumber are very closely related, both belonging to the 
genus Cucumis, attempts to cross these two plants have never 
been successful. It is not unlikely that various types of melons 
taste like cucumbers, but this is because they belong to the 
cucumber family and not because they have been hybridized 
with the cucumber. 
Numercus attempts have been made to classify the musk- 
melon, but the one generally accepted is that prepared by 
Naudin. Naudin obtained material from all over the world 
