Editing Melon (section)

==Melons by genus==
[[File:Cucumis metuliferus fruit - whole and cross section.jpg|thumb|Horned melon]]
[[File:Cantaloupe Melon cross section.png|thumb|upright|Honeydew]]

===''Benincasa''===
* [[Winter melon]]<ref group="note">Not to be confused with ''Cucumis melo inodorus'' varieties, also collectively called ''winter melon''.</ref> (''B. hispida'') is the only member of the genus ''Benincasa''. The mature winter melon is a cooking vegetable that is widely used in [[Asia]], especially in [[India]]. The immature melons are used as a culinary fruit (e.g., to make a distinctive fruit drink).

===''Citrullus''===
{{main|Citrullus}}
* [[Egusi]] (''C. lanatus'') is a wild melon, similar in appearance to the watermelon. The flesh is inedible, but the seeds are a valuable food source in [[Africa]].<ref>{{cite web
 | title=Seeds, seeds, seeds: Egusi, the Miracle Melon
 | publisher=Nourishing the Planet
 | author1=Danielle Nierenberg | author1-link=Danielle Nierenberg | author2=Elena Davert
 | url=http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/seeds-seeds-seeds-egusi-the-miracle-melon/ | url-status=dead
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006175830/http://blogs.worldwatch.org/nourishingtheplanet/seeds-seeds-seeds-egusi-the-miracle-melon/
 | archive-date=October 6, 2010 | date=September 20, 2010
}}</ref> Other species that have the same culinary role, and that are also called egusi include ''[[Melothria sphaerocarpa]]'' (syn. ''Cucumeropsis mannii'') and ''[[Lagenaria siceraria]]''.<ref>{{cite journal
 | title=Importance and practices of Egusi crops (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai, Cucumeropsis mannii Naudin and Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl. cv. ' Aklamkpa ') in sociolinguistic areas in Benin
 | url=http://www.pressesagro.be/base/text/v12n4/393.pdf
 | author1=Enoch Gbenato Achigan-Dako
 | author2=Rose Fagbemissi
 | author3=Hermane Tonankpon Avohou
 | author4=Raymond Sognon Vodouhe
 | author5=Ousmane Coulibaly
 | author6=Adam Ahanchede
 | journal=Biotechnol. Agron. Soc. Environ.
 | year=2008
 | volume=12
 | issue=4
 | pages=393–40
 | access-date=2014-10-20
 | archive-date=2015-05-07
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507194743/http://www.pressesagro.be/base/text/v12n4/393.pdf
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>
* [[Watermelon]] (''C. lanatus'') originated in Africa, where evidence indicates that it has been cultivated for over 4,000 years.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Daniel |last1=Zohary |first2= Maria |last2=Hopf |first3= Ehud |last3=Weiss|title=Domestication of Plants in the Old World: The Origin and Spread of Domesticated Plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin |isbn=9780199549061 |edition= Fourth |publisher=Oxford: University Press |year=2012 |page=193}}</ref> It is a popular summer fruit in all parts of the world.<ref>{{cite book
 | chapter=Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai
 | publisher=[[FAO]]
 | title=Grassland Species Profiles
 }}</ref>

===''Cucumis''===
[[File:Painted green melons. Chennai, India, 2010.jpg|thumb|Painted green melons. [[Chennai]], India, 2010]]
[[File:Melonjf7319.JPG|thumb|Slice of cantaloupe melon]]
[[File:Cucumis melo inodorus argos.jpg|thumb|Argos melon]]
Melons in genus ''[[Cucumis]]'' are culinary fruits, and include the majority of culinary melons. All but a handful of culinary melon varieties belong to the species ''Cucumis melo L.''
* [[Horned melon]] (''C. metuliferus''), a traditional food plant in Africa with distinctive spikes. Now grown in [[California]], [[Chile]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]] as well.<ref name="prota">{{cite book
 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6jrlyOPfr24C&q=momordica%20charantia%20culinary&pg=PA385
 | page=248
 | chapter=Momordica
 | title=Plant Resources of Tropical Africa: Vegetables
 |editor1=G.J.H. Grubben |editor2=O.H. Denton
  | author1=G.N. Njorogo
 | author2=M.N. van Luijk
 | publisher=[[PROTA Foundation]]
 | year=2004
 | isbn=90-5782-147-8
 | location=Wageningen, Netherlands
 | access-date=2014-10-20
}}</ref>
* [[True melon]] (''C. melo'')
** ''C. melo cantalupensis'', with skin that is rough and warty, not netted.
*** The European [[cantaloupe]], with lightly ribbed, pale green skin, was domesticated in the 18th century, in [[Cantalupo in Sabina]], [[Italy]], by the [[pope]]'s gardener. It is also known as a 'rockmelon' in Australia and New Zealand. Varieties include the French ''Charentais'' and the [[Burpee Seeds]] hybrid ''Netted Gem'', introduced in the 19th century.<ref>{{cite book
 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xwq1lunLkuoC&q=%22melo%20cantalupensis%22&pg=PA255
 | page=255
 | title=Cooking with the Bible: biblical food, feasts, and lore
 |author1=Anthony F. Chiffolo |author2=Rayner W. Hesse | publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group
 | year=2006
 | isbn=0-313-33410-2
 | access-date=2014-10-20
}}</ref> The [[Yubari King]] is a highly prized Japanese cantaloupe [[cultivar]].
*** The [[Persian melon]] resemble a large cantaloupe with a darker green [[Peel (fruit)|rind]] and a finer netting.<ref name="vos">{{cite book
 | title=Passion of a Foodie - An International Kitchen Companion
 | author=Heidemarie Vos
 | publisher=Strategic Book Publishing
 | year=2010
 | isbn=978-1-934925-63-8
 | page=348
 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=spY3ct9PBxEC&q=%22persian%20melon%22%20netting&pg=PA348
 | access-date=2014-10-20
}}</ref>
** ''C. melo inodorus'', casabas, honeydew, and Asian melons
*** [[Argos, Peloponnese#Economy|Argos]], a large, oblong, with orange wrinkled skin, orange flesh, strong aroma. A characteristic is its pointed ends. Growing in some areas of Greece, from which it gets its name.
*** [[Banana melon]], an heirloom variety with salmon-colored flesh and an elongated banana shape and yellow rind
*** [[Canary melon]], a large, bright-yellow melon with a pale green to white inner flesh.
*** Casaba, bright yellow, with a smooth, furrowed skin. Less flavorful than other melons, but keeps longer.<ref>{{cite web
 | publisher=WiseGeek
 | title=What is a casaba melon?
 | url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-casaba-melon.htm
 | access-date=2014-10-20
 | archive-date=2014-07-22
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722192652/http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-casaba-melon.htm
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>
*** [[Crenshaw melon]], a hybrid between a [[Casaba melon]] and a [[Persian melon]] that is described to have a very sweet flavor
*** [[Gaya melon]], originally from [[Japan]], a honeydew cultivar that is ivory in color and has a mild, sweet flavor
*** [[Hami melon]], originally from [[Hami Prefecture|Hami]], [[Xinjiang]], China. Flesh is sweet and crisp.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=China Daily
 | title=Xinjiang Hami Melon
 | series=Library>China ABC>Geography>Local Products
 | url=http://www1.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/08/content_22024.htm
 | access-date=2014-10-20
 | archive-date=2013-11-01
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101162139/http://www1.chinaculture.org/library/2008-01/08/content_22024.htm
 | url-status=dead
 }}</ref>
*** [[honeydew (melon)|Honeydew]], with a sweet, juicy, green-colored flesh. Grown as [[bailan melon]] in [[Lanzhou]], [[China]]. There is a second variety which has yellow skin, white flesh and tastes like a moist pear.
*** [[Honeymoon melon]], a variety of honeydew with golden rind and bright green flesh and a sweet flavor
*** [[Kajari melon]], a sweet honeydew cultivar that is red-orange in color with green stripes reminiscent of a [[beach ball]]
*** [[Kolkhoznitsa melon]], with smooth, yellow skin and dense, white flesh.<ref>{{cite news
 | newspaper=The Moscow Times
 | url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/sitemap/free/2007/9/article/likbez-melon-season/194219.html
 | date=September 21, 2007
 | title=Moscow flooded with melons
 | access-date=2014-10-20
 | archive-date=2015-05-10
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150510185404/http://www.themoscowtimes.com/sitemap/free/2007/9/article/likbez-melon-season/194219.html
 | url-status=live
 }}</ref>
*** Japanese melons (including the [[Sprite melon]]).
*** [[Korean melon]], a yellow melon with white lines running across the fruit and white inside. Can be crisp and slightly sweet or juicy when left to ripen longer.
*** [[Mirza melon]], a large, cream-colored melon native to [[Central Asia]] with a sweet, savory flavor
*** [[Oriental pickling melon]]
*** [[Pixie melon]], a sweet, palm-sized cantaloupe cultivar with a strange, cracked-looking netting
*** {{lang|es|Piel de Sapo}} ({{gloss|toad skin}}) or [[Santa Claus melon]], a melon with a blotchy green skin and white sweet-tasting flesh.
*** [[Sugar melon]], a smooth, white, round fruit.<ref>{{cite book
 | title=The Complete Book of Fruit: an illustrated guide to over 400 species and varieties of fruit from all over the world
 | author=Jac G. Constant
 | publisher=Admiral
 | year=1986
 | isbn=1-85171-049-3
 | page=35
 }}</ref>
*** Tiger melon, an orange, yellow and black striped melon from [[Turkey]] with a soft pulp.<ref>{{cite book
 | title=A Gourmet's Guide to Fruit
 | first1=Judy|last1=Bastyra |first2=Julia|last2=Canning
 | publisher=HP Books
 | year=1990
 | isbn=0-89586-849-0
 | page=[https://archive.org/details/gourmetsguidetof0000bast/page/64 64]
 | url=https://archive.org/details/gourmetsguidetof0000bast/page/64
 }}</ref>
** ''C. melo reticulatus'', true muskmelons, with netted (reticulated) skin.
*** North American cantaloupe, distinct from the European cantaloupe, with the net-like skin pattern common to other ''C. melo reticulatus'' varieties.<ref>{{cite book
 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JdLYGMOIndkC&q=reticulatus%20%22north%20american%20melon%22&pg=PA116
 | page=116
 | title=The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves: 200 Classic and Contemporary Recipes Showcasing the Fabulous Flavors of Fresh Fruits
 | author=Linda Ziedrich
 | publisher=ReadHowYouWant.com
 | year=2010
 | isbn=978-1-4587-6483-6
 | access-date=2014-10-20
| edition=Easyread Large
 }}</ref>
*** [[Galia melon|Galia]] (or Ogen), small and very juicy with either faint green or rosy pink flesh.<ref name="vos" />
*** Sharlyn melons, with taste between honeydew and cantaloupes, netted skin, greenish-orange rind, and white flesh.<ref>{{cite web
 | url=http://www.foodreference.com/html/artmelon.html
 | publisher=Food Reference
 | title=Melons
 | author=James Ehler
 | access-date=2014-10-20
 | archive-date=2014-08-05
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805155746/http://www.foodreference.com/html/artmelon.html
 | url-status=live
 }}{{self-published source|date=November 2011}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=November 2011}}
** ''C. melo agrestis'', Wilder melon cultivars, with smooth skin, and tart or bland taste. Often confused with [[cucumber]]s (Dosakai, Lemon Cucumber, Pie Melons).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Swamy|first=K. R. M.|date=2018-08-29|title=Origin, distribution and systematics of culinary cucumber (Cucumis melo subsp. agrestis var. conomon)|journal=Journal of Horticultural Sciences|language=en|volume=12|issue=1|pages=1–22|doi=10.24154/jhs.v12i1.64 |issn=0973-354X|doi-access=free}}</ref>
** ''C. melo conomon'', Conomon Melons, Pickling Melons, with smooth skin, and ranging from tart or bland taste (pickling melon)  to mild sweetness in Korean Melon.Oriental Pickling melon, Korean Melon. Closely related to wilder melons (C Melo Var Agrestis).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lim|first=T. K.|chapter=Cucumis melo (Conomon Group)|date=2012|work=Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 2, Fruits|pages=204–209|editor-last=Lim|editor-first=T. K.|publisher=Springer Netherlands|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-94-007-1764-0_32|isbn=9789400717640|title=Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants}}</ref>
** Modern crossbred varieties, e.g. Crenshaw (Casaba × Persian), Crane (Japanese × N.A. cantaloupe).