The Jenny Lind melon (''Cucumis melo'') is an

heirloom In popular usage, an heirloom is something that has been passed down for generations through family members. Examples are a Family Bible, antiques, weapons or jewellery. The term originated with the historical principle of an heirloom in ...

cantaloupe The cantaloupe, rockmelon (Australia and New Zealand, although cantaloupe is used in some states of Australia), sweet melon, or spanspek (Southern Africa) is a melon that is a variety of the muskmelon species (''Cucumis melo'') from the fami ...

first introduced in the 1840s. Unlike most other types of cantaloupe, its flesh is light green, rather than orange. A typical fruit weights between one and two pounds, and has a distinct knob, often known as a ''turban'', on one end. Like other

heirloom plant An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, heritage fruit (Australia and New Zealand), or heirloom vegetable (especially in Ireland and the UK) is an old cultivar of a plant used for food that is grown and maintained by gardeners and farmers, particular ...

s, Jenny Lind melons are generally not grown commercially. However, their seeds are available from a variety of sources, and many home gardeners choose to grow their own. The plant is commonly believed to have been named for the singer

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria "Jenny" Lind (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and a ...

References

Melons Jenny Lind Food plant cultivars {{Cucurbitales-stub