What's the difference between a cantaloupe...

Out of the several types of melons that are cultivated, these come from two different melon groups of Cucumis melo.

A true cantaloupe is a member of the Cantalupensis Group, named for Cantalupo, a former papal villa near Rome. This group is usually characterized by a rough, warty, hard rind and sweet orange flesh. These melons are mostly grown in Europe and Asia, and seldom grown in North America.

In the United States, what is called a “cantaloupe” is usually a muskmelon, which is a member of the Reticulatus Group and characterized by a netlike ribbed rind and sweet, fragrant orange flesh.