- Avocado
- Banana
- Breadfruit
- Coconut
- Coffee
- Custardapple
- Dragonfruit
- Durian
- Guava
- Jackfruit
- Jujube
- Langsat
- Longan
- Longkong
- Lychee
- Mafai
- Mango
- Mangosteen
- Maprang
- Papaya
- Passionfruit
- Pineapple
- Pomegranate
- Pomelo
- Pumpkin
- Rambutan
- Roseapple
- Soursop
- Starapple
- Starfruit
- Sugarapple
- Tamarind
- Tangerine
- 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.
| Scientific name: | Citrullus lanatus |
| Synonyms: | Citrullus vulgaris |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae (the gourd family) |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Common names: | Watermelon |
| 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. |
Recipes
Who knows a good recipe that contains watermelon?
