Muskmelon (
Cucumis melo) is a species of
melon that has been developed into many cultivated varieties. These include smooth-skinned varieties such as
honeydew, Crenshaw, and casaba, and different netted
cultivars (
cantaloupe,
Persian melon, and
Santa Claus or Christmas melon). The
Armenian cucumber is also a variety of muskmelon, but its shape, taste, and culinary uses more closely resemble those of a
cucumber. The large number of cultivars in this species approaches that found in
wild cabbage, though morphological variation is not as extensive. It is a
fruit of a type called
pepo.