The cantaloupe is a juicy, orange summer fruit related to watermelon and honeydew melon. The semi-sweet cantaloupes most familiar to people in the U.S. are a type of muskmelon called Cucumis melo reticulatus. The scientific name stems in part from the word “reticulated,” describing the cantaloupe’s rough, webbed outer skin. People have grown cantaloupes for thousands of years. Most experts agree it likely first grew in Persia (modern Iran).

Source: Web MD