Varieties of Persian Melons

Cantaloupe

• Cantaloupes are oval melons with a netted rind and sweet, orange flesh. The True cantaloupe variety has warty skin and is unique to European gardens and markets, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. Athena cantaloupes are the variety most commonly grown in the Eastern United States. Charentais melons are small with gray-green rinds and a highly perfumed flavor. The variety sold as a Persian melon is larger than a market Athena cantaloupe, with a dark-green rind covered with fine tan netting, according to the University of Minnesota.

Honeydew

• The honeydew muskmelon variety has a smooth, white-to-pale-green-or-yellow rind containing flesh that may be green, white or orange. Honeydews lack the musky smell of cantaloupes, according to the University of Minnesota, and lack a netting on the rind's surface. Most honeydews are larger than the average market cantaloupe. Honeydews do not continue ripening once picked, according to the Harvard Medical School, so select one that is ready to be eaten.

Winter Melons

• Winter melons are muskmelon varieties that ripen late in the season and have good storage qualities, including casaba, crenshaw and Christmas melons, according to Innvista. The casaba melon is similar to a honeydew, but indented along a ridge shaped like a walnut. The Christmas melon is a mottled, football-shaped fruit with pale-orange or green flesh. The round, pink-fleshed crenshaws are the most flavorful of the winter melons.

Cooking Melons

• Cooking melons are varieties used primarily in culinary applications rather than for fresh eating, according to Innvista. Cooking varieties of muskmelons play a prominent role in Indian and Asian cuisine but are not commonly marketed and used in the United States. Varieties include the Indian kakri, the horned melon with a jelly-like green pulp, and the fine-textured, mild pepino melons with a skins that can be sliced and eaten like cucumbers.