• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Garden Pests
    • Plant Diseases
    • Plant Profiles
    • Raised Bed Gardening
    • Seed Starting
    • Tools & Equipment
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

Cantaloupe vs Muskmelon – What Is the Difference?

August 14, 2018 by Jeanne

Cantaloupe vs muskmelon…which is the proper name for the fruit many of us love? What is the difference? What makes some fruit cantaloupe vs muskmelon? Do they taste different or grow differently?

cantaloupe vs muskmelon

Surprising Facts About Cantaloupe vs Muskmelon

There are some surprising facts about cantaloupe vs muskmelon.

  • All cantaloupe are muskmelon, but not all muskmelon are cantaloupe (confused you more, didn’t I?)
  • North American cantaloupe (pictured above) goes by the botanic name of Cucumis melo reticulatus. Reticulatus refers  to the pattern of webbing over the skin of the fruit.
  • European cantaloupe looks different from its North American cousin. It goes by the Latin or botanical name of Cucumis melo cantalupensis. It is rounder, smaller, and has a light green skin. If you saw it in the market, you wouldn’t call it a cantaloupe, but might ask the grocery what fruit it is.
  • Muskmelon is the older name for the fruit, with “musk” a Persian word meaning “perfume” and “melon” a word from old French that means “apple shaped fruit.”
  • The European and North American types listed here – the two big categories – are cantaloupes.
  • Any variety within Cucumis melo reticulatus or Cucumis melo cantalupensis is a cantaloupe!

It’s proper, in the discussion of cantaloupe vs muskmelon, to call all possible cantaloupes muskmelons and leave it at that.

But really, a cantaloupe by any other name is… a muskmelon.

cantaloupe vs muskmelon

How Do You Know When a Cantaloups Is Ripe?

All cantaloupes and muskmelons are fun to grow in the home garden. They ripen on or off the vine, but vine-ripened ones are sweeter.

Cantaloupes develop a telltale yellow spot usually on the area where the ribbed skin touches the earth when they are ripe. They develop a sweet fragrance, too, close to the taste of the actual fruit.

I find that the easier they pull from the vine, the more ripe they are. True muskmelon slip from the vine when they are ripe; cantaloupe may cling a bit but with a slight twist or turn of the fruit you can harvest them.

Store at room temperature if the cantaloupe isn’t entirely ripe. Very ripe fruits can be stored in the refrigerator.

Cantaloupe vs muskmelon…they both taste great!

Filed Under: Growing Fruit

Previous Post: « Growing Cantaloupe for First Time Gardeners
Next Post: Sunflower Facts and Fun »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

As Seen in Porch

 As Seen in Porch

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Explore All Gardening Articles

Latest Articles

  • Sunscald on Tomatoes: What It Is and How to Prevent It
  • Herbal Profile: Growing Calendula
  • Battling Anthracnose: A Cucumber Grower’s Guide to a Sneaky Fungal Foe

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

Disclosure

Home Garden Joy participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy. Herbal information and recipes on this site are provided for educational purposes only.

Footer

a close up of a cucumber leaf with anthracnose

Battling Anthracnose: A Cucumber Grower’s Guide to a Sneaky Fungal Foe

If you’ve ever stepped into your garden and noticed strange brown spots or sunken blemishes on your cucumbers, you might be facing a common but troublesome fungal disease known as anthracnose. Caused by Colletotrichum orbiculare, anthracnose thrives in warm, humid conditions and can quickly spread across your crop if not addressed early. This year in…

Read More

cucumbers and tomatoes in harvest basket

How to Grow Cucumbers: A Complete Guide

Learn how to grow cucumbers in this complete guide. I’ve grown cucumbers my entire life, and I still marvel at the prices of them at the supermarket. I can only imagine that we’re all paying for the transportation, for cucumbers are some of the easiest vegetables to grow. In fact, you may find yourself muttering,…

Read More

small round eggplant

Growing Eggplant: A Guide for Gardeners

Growing eggplant (a small garden devoted to fresh, seasonal edibles) is relatively easy in zone 7, where I garden, but combating the bugs is another story. Growing epplant in pots, containers, raised beds, or garden soil is all possible if you are willing to go the extra mile to control its nemesis, the Colorado potato…

Read More

cherry tomatoes in various stages of ripeness

Volunteer Plants – Nature’s Unexpected Gifts

Volunteer plants are one of nature’s most delightful surprises. They spring up unbidden, often in places we didn’t expect—cracks in sidewalks, corners of compost piles, or nestled beside a stone foundation, like the vibrant coleus seedlings growing near my deck shown in these pictures. These botanical freeloaders aren’t weeds; they’re plants that have reseeded themselves…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme