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Most types of melons in a grocery store belong to one species, Cucumis melo, which NC State Extension divides into informal groups such as the netted muskmelons and the honeydew group; watermelon is a separate plant, Citrullus lanatus, in the same cucumber family. In USDA FoodData Central, a cup of cantaloupe cubes lists about 58.7 milligrams of vitamin C, 65% of the FDA Daily Value, against 30.6 milligrams for a cup of diced honeydew and 12.3 milligrams for a cup of diced watermelon. Below: the melon groups and varieties extension sources describe, USDA tables with FDC IDs and FDA percent Daily Value, and CDC’s notice on a cantaloupe outbreak.
Peptide Labs does not sell foods. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Key Takeaways
- NC State Extension lists the cantaloupe, muskmelon, honeydew and casaba under one species, Cucumis melo, and watermelon under a different one, Citrullus lanatus.
- UGA Extension material puts cantaloupes, charentais and galia melons in the netted Reticulatus group, and honeydew, casaba, Crenshaw, canary and Christmas melons in the Inodorus group.
- Per cup in USDA data, cantaloupe lists the most vitamin C and vitamin A of the four fresh melons here: about 58.7 milligrams and 270 micrograms RAE.
- Gram for gram, casaba lists the fewest calories in USDA SR Legacy, 28 per 100 grams, and watermelon the least fiber, 0.4 grams.
- CDC counted 407 cases in 44 states in a Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes and later declared it over.
Types of melons: one species, several groups
NC State Extension describes Cucumis melo as a warm-season annual in the cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae, and says the species encompasses many of the edible melons. In the same NC State Extension entry, another common name for cantaloupe is muskmelon, a name that comes from the musky odor the fruits may give off when cut open.
The species, NC State Extension explains, is usually split into informal groups that once had formal taxonomic standing and are now folded back into the species. The entry names the Cantalupensis group (cantaloupe), the Reticulatus group (netted or muskmelons), the Inodorus group (honeydew), the Flexuosus group, which it lists as a cucumber, the Chito group (mango melon or vine peach), the Dudaim group (Queen Anne) and the Conomon group (Oriental pickling melon).
Botanically, NC State Extension classifies the fruit of Cucumis melo as a berry with a rind, called a pepo, and notes that the rind may be smooth, rough, warty, scaly or netted and green, yellow, tan, beige or white. Our page on types of berries explains how extension sources sort botanical berries, and the cucumber and pumpkin guides cover two other members of the cucumber family.
Melon varieties in the netted and smooth groups
A column by W. Terry Kelley, a former UGA Cooperative Extension horticulturist, sorts the melon varieties sold in the United States into two main groups and notes that all melons of the melo species are called muskmelons, but not all muskmelons are cantaloupes:
- Netted melons (Reticulatus group): the common cantaloupe, plus charentais and galia melons, per the UGA column. See our cantaloupe guide.
- Charentais: globe-shaped melons with deep orange flesh and a spicy aroma, usually sweeter than cantaloupes in the UGA column, with soft flesh that shortens shelf life.
- Galia: described in the UGA column as basically green-fleshed cantaloupes, with flesh softer than honeydew but firmer than cantaloupe.
- Honeydew (Inodorus group): the smooth-rind melon that NC State Extension uses as the example for the Inodorus group. See our honeydew guide.
- Casaba: not netted but deeply creased, with thick white, yellow or orange flesh, and, per the UGA column, without the musky odor of a cantaloupe or the sweetness of a honeydew.
- Crenshaw: casaba crosses and so close relatives of the casaba, according to the same UGA source.
- Canary: the UGA column describes the Juan Canary type as having a smooth rind that turns golden yellow and firm flesh that is pale green to white.
- Christmas or Piel de Sapo: football-shaped melons with mottled yellow to green rinds, which the UGA column says take longer to mature than the other types it covers.
The UGA column also mentions Oriental crisp-flesh melons, which are small with mostly white, crisp flesh, and Japanese melons with a heavily netted green rind.
The other melon genus and foods called melon
NC State Extension lists watermelon as Citrullus lanatus, a member of the cucumber family, and says there are more than 1000 watermelon cultivars available. Its flesh, in the NC State Extension entry, is generally red but can also be pink or yellow, and seedless varieties are available. The same source classifies the fruit as a large modified berry called a pepo and notes that the fruit can be eaten raw or pickled and the rind is edible after cooking. Our watermelon guide covers this fruit in depth.
Several other foods carry the word melon in their names and have their own pages on this site: winter melon, bitter melon and the horned melon. They are not part of the USDA comparison below, and our sibling page on types of peaches covers another summer fruit.
Melons per cup in USDA data
The table uses USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy entries for raw melon and USDA’s own one-cup portion for each entry, cubed or diced as USDA lists it. The percent Daily Value (%DV) compares each amount with the FDA Daily Values for adults and children 4 and older: 90 milligrams of vitamin C, 28 grams of fiber, 4,700 milligrams of potassium and 900 micrograms RAE of vitamin A. Total sugars have no FDA Daily Value, so that column shows grams only. Rows are ranked by vitamin C.
| Melon (USDA FDC ID) | Serving | Calories | Vitamin C | Vitamin A | Potassium | Fiber | Sugars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melons, cantaloupe, raw (169092) | 1 cup cubes, 160 g | 54 | 58.7 mg (65%) | 270 mcg (30%) | 427 mg (9%) | 1.4 g (5%) | 12.6 g |
| Melons, casaba, raw (169093) | 1 cup cubes, 170 g | 48 | 37.1 mg (41%) | 0 mcg (0%) | 309 mg (7%) | 1.5 g (5%) | 9.7 g |
| Melons, honeydew, raw (169911) | 1 cup diced, 170 g | 61 | 30.6 mg (34%) | 5 mcg (1%) | 388 mg (8%) | 1.4 g (5%) | 13.8 g |
| Watermelon, raw (167765) | 1 cup diced, 152 g | 46 | 12.3 mg (14%) | 43 mcg (5%) | 170 mg (4%) | 0.6 g (2%) | 9.4 g |
Cantaloupe leads this table in USDA data on three counts: about 58.7 milligrams of vitamin C, 270 micrograms RAE of vitamin A and 427 milligrams of potassium per cup, or 65%, 30% and 9% of the FDA Daily Value. Casaba follows on vitamin C at 37.1 milligrams per cup in USDA data but lists 0 micrograms of vitamin A, as does honeydew at about 5 micrograms; the orange flesh of cantaloupe is the outlier here. Honeydew lists the most sugars per cup in USDA data, about 13.8 grams, and watermelon the fewest calories per cup, about 46. Our lists of foods high in vitamin C and foods high in vitamin A put these numbers next to other produce.
Melons gram for gram
Cups of cubed and diced melon weigh different amounts, so the per-100-gram view in USDA SR Legacy is the fairer comparison. This table adds USDA’s frozen melon balls entry, for which SR Legacy lists no total sugars value.
| Melon (USDA FDC ID) | Calories | Water | Sugars | Fiber | Vitamin C | Potassium | Vitamin A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melons, cantaloupe, raw (169092) | 34 | 90.2 g | 7.9 g | 0.9 g | 36.7 mg | 267 mg | 169 mcg |
| Melons, casaba, raw (169093) | 28 | 91.8 g | 5.7 g | 0.9 g | 21.8 mg | 182 mg | 0 mcg |
| Melons, honeydew, raw (169911) | 36 | 89.8 g | 8.1 g | 0.8 g | 18.0 mg | 228 mg | 3 mcg |
| Watermelon, raw (167765) | 30 | 91.5 g | 6.2 g | 0.4 g | 8.1 mg | 112 mg | 28 mcg |
| Melon balls, frozen (169912) | 33 | 90.3 g | not listed | 0.7 g | 6.2 mg | 280 mg | 89 mcg |
Gram for gram, all five entries list close to 90 grams of water per 100 grams in USDA SR Legacy, from 89.8 grams for honeydew to 91.8 grams for casaba. Casaba lists the fewest calories in USDA data, 28 per 100 grams, and honeydew the most, 36. Watermelon lists the least fiber in USDA data, 0.4 grams per 100 grams, against 0.9 grams for cantaloupe and casaba. Our lists of low calorie fruits, low sugar fruits and high potassium fruits rank more fruit by those measures.
A cantaloupe outbreak in CDC's words
CDC’s final notice on a Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes, dated January 19, 2024, counted 407 cases, 158 hospitalizations and 6 deaths in 44 states. CDC states that this outbreak is over and that the recalled cantaloupes are no longer available for sale, with their use-by dates passed.
In the same notice, CDC lists four food handling steps: clean (wash hands, utensils and surfaces often), separate (keep food that will not be cooked away from raw meat, poultry and seafood), cook, and chill (refrigerate perishable food promptly). Our cantaloupe guide covers this fruit in more depth.
Labels, cut fruit and other notes
- Daily Values: the FDA Daily Values in the tables (21 CFR 101.9) are label reference values, not personal targets.
- Cut and packaged melon: the USDA rows above are raw fruit. For fruit cups, frozen melon or fruit in syrup, the Nutrition Facts label on the package is the figure for that product.
- Gaps in the data: SR Legacy has no separate entries for Crenshaw, galia, charentais or canary melons and lists no total sugars for frozen melon balls, so those cells say not listed or the melons are left out.
- Values vary: USDA SR Legacy figures are averages; variety, ripeness and size change the numbers for any single melon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main types of melons?
UGA Extension material groups cantaloupes, charentais and galia melons as netted Reticulatus melons, and honeydew, casaba, Crenshaw, canary and Christmas melons in the Inodorus group; watermelon is a separate species, per NC State Extension.
Is a cantaloupe a muskmelon?
Yes: NC State Extension gives muskmelon as another common name for cantaloupe, and the UGA column adds that all melo melons are muskmelons, though not all muskmelons are cantaloupes.
Which group does casaba belong to?
Casaba sits in the Inodorus group with honeydew in the UGA Extension column, which describes casaba as creased, not netted, and without a cantaloupe’s musky odor.
Which melon ranks first in the per-cup table?
Cantaloupe, ranked by vitamin C: USDA lists about 58.7 milligrams per cup of cubes, 65% of the FDA Daily Value.
Which melon has the fewest calories?
Gram for gram, casaba: USDA SR Legacy lists 28 calories per 100 grams, against 30 for watermelon.
What did CDC report about cantaloupes?
CDC’s final notice on a Salmonella outbreak linked to cantaloupes counted 407 cases in 44 states and states that the outbreak is over.
Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a health condition. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Last reviewed October 2026.
Related guides: Types of Peaches: Freestone, Clingstone, Yellow and White, Watermelon: Benefits, Nutrition, Lycopene and Citrulline, Types of Peaches: Freestone, Clingstone, Yellow and White.