Watermelon
With a water content of 92% (and a melon content of 8%) it is clear how watermelons got their name.
This page provide basic information about watermelon and some photos.
Basic information on watermelon
| Scientific name | Citrullus lanatus |
| Synonym | Citrullus vulgaris |
| English | Watermelon |
| Dutch | Watermeloen |
| Spanish | Sandía Melón de agua Paitilla Patilla |
| French | Pastèque Melon d'eau |
| German | Wassermelone |
| Italian | Anguria Cocomero |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae (the gourd family) |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| 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. |
Water melon photos
Proverbs about water melon
- 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.
Quotes
Please send me a message if you know more proverbs or funny quotes about watermelon.
Recipes
Who knows a good recipe that contains watermelon?