https://www.gardenology.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=CantaloupeCantaloupe - Revision history2026-04-09T23:56:23ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.0https://www.gardenology.org/w/index.php?title=Cantaloupe&diff=2812&oldid=prevWikiWorks at 04:46, 14 April 20072007-04-14T04:46:14Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Taxobox<br />
| color = lightgreen<br />
| name = Cantaloupe<br />
| image = Cantaloupes.jpg<br />
| image_width = 160px<br />
| image_caption = Ripe North American cantaloupes (''C. m. reticulatus'')<br />
| regnum = [[Plantae]]<br />
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]<br />
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]<br />
| ordo = [[Cucurbitales]]<br />
| familia = [[Cucurbitaceae]]<br />
| genus = ''[[Cucumis]]''<br />
| species = ''[[Cucumis melo|C. melo]]''<br />
| subspecies = '''''C. m. cantalupensis'''''<br>'''''C. m. reticulatus'''''<br />
| trinomial = ''Cucumis melo cantalupensis''<br>''Cucumis melo reticulatus''<br />
| trinomial_authority = Naudin.<br />
}}<br />
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{{otheruses}}<br />
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'''Cantaloupe''' (also '''cantalope''') refers to two varieties of '''[[muskmelon]] (''Cucumis melo'')''' <ref>[http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?cantaloupe cantaloupe at m-w.com]</ref>, which is a [[species]] in the family [[Cucurbitaceae]] (a family which includes nearly all [[melon]]s and [[Squash (vegetable)|squashes]]). Cantaloupes are typically 15–25 cm in length and are somewhat oblong, though not as oblong as [[watermelon]]s. Like all melons, cantaloupes grow best in sandy, well-aerated, well-watered soil that is free of encroaching weeds.<br />
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*The '''European cantaloupe''' is ''Cucumis melo cantalupensis.'' Its lightly-ribbed, pale green skin looks quite different from the North American cantaloupe. It is called a ''spanspek'' in South Africa, where it is harvested during the summer months October through February.<br />
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*The '''North American cantaloupe''', common in the United States and in some parts of Canada, is ''Cucumis melo reticulatus'' (or sometimes ''C. melo melo'' var. ''cantalupensis''), a different member of the same muskmelon [[species]]. It is named ''reticulatus'' due to its net-like (or reticulated) skin covering. In some parts of Australia and New Zealand, it is usually called '''rockmelon''' due to the rock-like appearance of the skin of the fruit. It is a round melon with firm, orange, moderately-sweet flesh and a thin reticulated light-brown rind. Varieties with redder and yellower flesh exist but are not common, and they are not considered as flavorful as the more common variety.<br />
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==Origin==<br />
{{Not verified|date=February 2007}}<br />
The cantaloupe was named after the commune [[Cantalupo in Sabina]], in the [[Sabine Hills]] near [[Tivoli, Italy]], a summer residence of the [[Pope]]. It was originally cultivated about the year 1700 from seeds brought from [[Armenia]], part of the homeland of melons. <br />
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The most widely enjoyed variety of European cantaloupe is the ''Charentais,'' cultivated almost exclusively in [[France]]. Pope [[Innocent XIII]]([[1721]]-[[1724]]) is said to have enjoyed sipping [[Port wine]] from a partially hollowed melon half as an [[apéritif]].<br />
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Cantaloupes were first introduced to North America by [[Christopher Columbus]] on his second voyage to the New World in 1494. The [[Burpee Seeds|W. Atlee Burpee Company]] developed and introduced the "Netted Gem" in 1881 from varieties then growing in North America.<br />
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==Production and use==<br />
[[Image:JapaneseFruit.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Cantaloupes on sale in [[Japan]] for 2800 [[yen]] each.]]<br />
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For commercial plantings, the [[United States Department of Agriculture]] recommends at least one hive of [[honeybee]]s per acre (4,000 m² per hive) for [[pollination]]. Good pollination is important, not only for the number of fruits produced, but also for the sugar content of these fruits.<br />
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A ripe one will have a musky sweet smell at the stem end of the melon. An odorless one is likely to be tasteless, too.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}<br />
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Cantaloupe is normally eaten as a fresh fruit, as a salad, or as a [[dessert]] with ice-cream or custard. Melon pieces wrapped in [[prosciutto]] are a familiar modern [[antipasto]]. [[Sanjeev Kapoor]] describes the charentais [[variety (plant)|variety]]: "the orange, sugary and fragrant flesh makes this fruit popular both as a dessert or [[main course]]. These have smooth gray-green [[rind]]s and very fragrant orange flesh. It keeps well when stored in a cool, dry place and ripens after several days in a warm room."{{Fact|date=February 2007}}<br />
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Because the surface of a cantaloupe can contain harmful [[bacteria]] - in particular, [[salmonella]] <ref>[http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/2006/20061026_03.html Australian Govt Health Warning, October 2006]</ref> - it is always a good idea to wash a melon thoroughly before cutting and consumption. [[Salmonella#Prevention|Optimum preparation procedures]] involve sterization with a fine mist of ethanol on the outside of the fruit, but this is rarely carried out (outside of professional facilities) owing to the relative non-availability (to the average consumer) of ethanol that is not mixed with methanol (methylated spirits) or traces of benzene (laboratory grade "100%" ethanol).<br />
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A mouldy cantaloupe in a Peoria market in 1941 was found to contain the best and highest quality [[penicillin]] after a world-wide search.<br />
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==Food chemistry==<br />
{{Not verified|date=February 2007}}<br />
Cantaloupe are a source of [[polyphenol antioxidant]]s, chemicals which are known to provide certain health benefits to the [[cardiovascular system]] and [[immune system]]. These chemicals are known to up regulate the formation of [[nitric oxide]], a key chemical in promoting health of the [[endothelium]] and prevention of [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]]s.<br />
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== Heraldry ==<br />
The European cantaloupe has been used as a [[charge (heraldry)|charge]] in [[heraldry]].<br />
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==Varieties==<br />
* Anaconda<br />
* Ananas (pineapple)<br />
* Archer F1<br />
* Athena<br />
* Charentais<br />
* Charon<br />
* Cruiser F1<br />
* Eastern<br />
* French<br />
* Western<br />
* Western muskmelon<br />
* Sensation<br />
* Sidewinder improved<br />
* Tuscan<br />
* Viper<br />
* WSC-04-13<br />
* WSC-04-14<br />
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==References==<br />
* {{ITIS|taxon = Cucumis melo cantalupensis|ID = 22362|date = September 3|year = 2002}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
*[http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=17 Nutritional and Historical Information]<br />
*[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13860621/ MSNBC Article on Farming of Hybridization That Mentions Cantaloupes]<br />
*[http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Cucumis.html Sorting Cucumis names] – Multilingual multiscript plant name database<br />
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== Footnotes ==<br />
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[[Category:Melons]]</div>WikiWorks