Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo 'Orange Silverwave')

While ‘Orange Silverwave’ is a specific cultivar, cantaloupes (Cucumis melo) as a species originated in a region encompassing **Africa and/or Asia**. Specifically:

* **Africa:** Some evidence points to tropical Africa as a primary center of origin.
* **Asia:** Specifically, Persia (modern-day Iran) and surrounding areas of Central Asia are considered another strong possibility, or at least a very early center of domestication and diversification.

It is difficult to know definitively which continent the wild ancestor of Cantaloupe first evolved on, but both are likely candidates. Today, cantaloupes are cultivated worldwide in warm temperate and tropical regions.