Watermelon

Watermelon fruits

With a water content of 92% (and a melon content of 8%) it is clear how watermelons got their name. Watermelons are big fruits with a watery, usually red colored, flesh and hundreds of small seeds.

Names

Scientific
   Citrullus lanatus
Synonym
   Citrullus vulgaris
English
   Watermelon
   Xigua
Dutch
   Watermeloen
Spanish
   Melón de agua
   Paitilla
   Patilla
   Sandía
French
   Melon d’eau
   Pastèque
German
   Wassermelone
Italian
   Anguria
   Cocomero

Taxonomy

Genus
   Citrullus
Family
   Cucurbitaceae
Order
   Cucurbitales

Basic information and facts

Origin:

Southern Africa

Distribution:

Now grown in most tropical and sub-tropical regions of the
world.

Flowers:

Flowers are five-petaled with a light yellow color. Plants produce both male and female flowers. Flowers are usually 2 to 3 cm in diameter.

Leaves:

The leaves are deeply lobed and have a dark grayish green color. They are covered with soft downy hairs.

Fruits:

The big round or oval fruits have a thick rind and a fleshy center, usually with many dark brown to black seeds. The fruits has a green and yellow color on the outside. The flesh inside is usually red, but color variations include type with yellow or orange flesh. Fruits can weigh from 2 to 20 kilos, depending on the variety.

Climate and weather:

Tropical and sub-tropical climates. Watermelon prefers a hot, dry climate (daily temperatures between 22 to 30°C). It can survive desert conditions when groundwater is available.

Pollination:

Flowers are pollinated by honeybees.

Height:

The watermelon is a vine-like trailer, spreading out over the soil.

Type of soil:

Prefers sandy loam

Growth rate:

Fast growing plant.

Spacing (close range)

0.5 meter

Spacing (wide range)

2.5 meter

Propagation:

Grown from seed, usually by direct seeding in the field.

Insect pests:

Aphids, cucumber beetles, leaf miners, leaf hoppers, red spider mites, cutworms.

Diseases:

Anthracnose, Downy Mildew, Fusarium wilt, Watermelon mosaic virus, Root-knot nematodes.

Fruit development:

Watermelon fruits that are grown under hot and dry conditions have a higher sugar content than fruits that grew up under cool and humid conditions.

Harvesting:

harvest by hand when the fruits have fully ripened.

Uses:

Eat as a fresh fruit or mix pieces of watermelon in fruit salads. Watermelon seeds are roasted and eaten as a snack.

Proverbs and Quotes

One armpit cannot hold two watermelons.
One hand can’t hold two watermelons.
Pick up a sesame seed only to lose a watermelon.
The pumpkin vine never bears watermelons.
Two watermelons cannot be held in one hand.
Two watermelons cannot be held under one arm.

Did you know that?

Not only the flesh, but also the seeds and rinds of watermelons are edible.
On the island of Hokkaido in Japan, a special type of watermelon is produced which is black without stripes or spots. This watermelon is called ‘Densuke’ and only a few thousand fruits are produced each year, which makes them rare and expensive. They cost about 250 US$, but a record breaking fruit fetched over 6,000 US$.

Crop categories

Fruits
Food crops
Tropical crops

Pictures