Watermelon#Systematics

{{More citations needed section|date=January 2022}}

The watermelon is an annual that has a prostrate or climbing habit. Stems are up to {{convert|3|m|ft|0|abbr=off}} long and new growth has yellow or brown hairs. Leaves are {{convert|60|to|200|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|40|to|150|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} wide. These usually have three lobes that are lobed or doubly lobed. Young growth is densely woolly with yellowish-brown hairs which disappear as the plant ages. Like all but one species in the genus Citrullus, watermelon has branching tendrils. Plants have unisexual male or female flowers that are white or yellow and borne on {{convert|40|mm|in|frac=4|adj=mid|-long}} hairy stalks. Each flower grows singly in the leaf axils, and the species' sexual system, with male and female flowers produced on each plant, is monoecious. The male flowers predominate at the beginning of the season; the female flowers, which develop later, have inferior ovaries. The styles are united into a single column.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}

The large fruit is a kind of modified berry called a pepo with a thick rind (exocarp) and fleshy center (mesocarp and endocarp).{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbotanical.com/fruit_types.htm|title=A Systematic Treatment of Fruit Types|publisher=Worldbotanical.com|access-date=7 October 2014|archive-date=13 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713022453/http://www.worldbotanical.com/fruit_types.htm|url-status=live}} Wild plants have fruits up to {{convert|20|cm|0|abbr=on}} in diameter, while cultivated varieties may exceed {{convert|60|cm|0|abbr=on}}. The rind of the fruit is mid- to dark green and usually mottled or striped, and the flesh, containing numerous pips spread throughout the inside, can be red or pink (most commonly), orange, yellow, green or white.{{cite web |title=Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai |publisher=South Africa National Biodiversity Institute |url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/citrullanat.htm |access-date=4 October 2014 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074427/http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/citrullanat.htm |url-status=live }}

A bitter watermelon, C. amarus, has become naturalized in semiarid regions of several continents, and is designated as a "pest plant" in parts of Western Australia where they are called "pig melon".{{cite book |last1=Parsons |first1=William Thomas |last2=Cuthbertson |first2=Eric George |date=2001 |title=Noxious Weeds of Australia |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sRCrNAQQrpwC&q=wild%20melon%20australia&pg=PA408 |location=Collingwood, Victoria |publisher=CSIRO Publishing |pages=407–408 |isbn=978-0643065147 |access-date=17 April 2014 |archive-date=13 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313192605/https://books.google.com/books?id=sRCrNAQQrpwC&q=wild%20melon%20australia&pg=PA408 |url-status=live }}

The sweet watermelon was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and given the name Cucurbita citrullus. It was reassigned to the genus Citrullus in 1836, under the replacement name Citrullus vulgaris, by the German botanist Heinrich Adolf Schrader.{{citation |title=Citrullus vulgaris Schrad. |work=The International Plant Names Index |url=https://www.ipni.org/n/291943-1 |access-date=2019-09-26 |archive-date=26 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926213234/https://www.ipni.org/n/291943-1 |url-status=live }} (The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants does not allow names like "Citrullus citrullus".)Article 23.4 "The specific epithet, with or without the addition of a transcribed symbol, may not exactly repeat the generic name (a designation formed by such repetition is a tautonym)."

The species is further divided into several varieties, of which bitter wooly melon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai var. lanatus), citron melons (Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (L. H. Bailey) Mansf.), and the edible var. vulgaris may be the most important. This taxonomy originated with the erroneous synonymization of the wooly melon Citrullus lanatus with the sweet watermelon Citrullus vulgaris by L.H. Bailey in 1930.Bailey LH. 1930. Three discussions in Cucurbitaceae. Gentes Herbarum 2: 175–186. Molecular data, including sequences from the original collection of Thunberg and other relevant type material, show that the sweet watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris Schrad.) and the bitter wooly melon Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai are not closely related to each other.{{cite journal |author1=Chomicki, G. |author2=S. S. Renner |author-link2=Susanne Renner|title=Watermelon origin solved with molecular phylogenetics including Linnaean material: Another example of museomics |journal=New Phytologist |doi=10.1111/nph.13163 |pmid=25358433 |year=2014 |volume= 205|issue= 2|pages= 526–32|doi-access=free |bibcode=2015NewPh.205..526C }} A proposal to conserve the name, Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai, was accepted by the nomenclature committee and confirmed at the International Botanical Congress in 2017.{{cite journal |author1=Renner, S. S. |author-link1=Susanne Renner |author2=G. Chomicki |author3=W. Greuter |name-list-style=amp |year=2014 |title=Proposal to conserve the name Momordica lanata (Citrullus lanatus) (watermelon, Cucurbitaceae), with a conserved type, against Citrullus battich |journal=Taxon |volume=63 |issue=4 |pages=941–942 |doi=10.12705/634.29 |s2cid=86896357 }}

Prior to 2015, the wild species closest to Citrullus lanatus was assumed to be the tendril-less melon Citrullus ecirrhosus Cogn. from South African arid regions based on an erroneously identified 18th-century specimen. However, after phylogenetic analysis, the closest relative to Citrullus lanatus is now thought to be Citrullus mucosospermus (Fursa) from West Africa (from Senegal to Nigeria), which is also sometimes considered a subspecies within C. lanatus.Chomicki, Guillaume & Renner, Susanne S. 2015. Watermelon origin solved with molecular phylogenetics including Linnaean material: Another example of museomics. New Phytologist, 205 (2): 526–532. Watermelon populations from Sudan are also close to domesticated watermelons.Renner, S. S., A. Sousa, and G. Chomicki. 2017. Chromosome numbers, Sudanese wild forms, and classification of the watermelon genus Citrullus, with 50 names allocated to seven biological species. Taxon 66(6): 1393-1405 The bitter wooly melon was formally described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1794 and given the name Momordica lanata.{{cite web |url=https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/199634 |title=Momordica lanata |website=Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) |publisher=Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government |access-date=15 March 2023}} It was reassigned to the genus Citrullus in 1916 by Japanese botanists Jinzō Matsumura and Takenoshin Nakai.{{cite web |url=https://id.biodiversity.org.au/name/apni/69938 |title=Citrullus lanatus |website=Australian Plant Name Index (APNI) |publisher=Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government |access-date=15 March 2023}}

File:Albert Eckhout 1610-1666 Brazilian fruits.jpg, a Dutch painter active in 17th-century Brazil]]

File:Leiden University Library - Seikei Zusetsu vol. 27, page 018 - 西瓜 - Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai - Cucurbita maxima Duchesne, 1804.jpg (1804)]]

Watermelons were originally cultivated for their high water content and stored to be eaten during dry seasons, as a source of both food and water.{{Cite web|last=Strauss|first=Mark|date=2015-08-21|title=The 5,000-Year Secret History of the Watermelon|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/08/150821-watermelon-fruit-history-agriculture/|access-date=2020-10-15|website=National Geographic News|language=en|archive-date=2020-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016013417/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/08/150821-watermelon-fruit-history-agriculture/|url-status=dead}} Watermelon seeds were found in the Dead Sea region at the ancient settlements of Bab edh-Dhra and Tel Arad.{{cite book |last1=Amar |first1=Zohar |title=Arabian Drugs in Medieval Mediterranean Medicine |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_jVYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT61 |access-date=26 August 2019 |isbn=9781474413183 |date=5 December 2016 |archive-date=13 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313192553/https://books.google.com/books?id=_jVYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT61 |url-status=live }}

Many 5000-year-old wild watermelon seeds (C. lanatus) were discovered at Uan Muhuggiag, a prehistoric archaeological site located in southwestern Libya. This archaeobotanical discovery may support the possibility that the plant was more widely distributed in the past.

In the 7th century, watermelons were being cultivated in India, and by the 10th century had reached China. The Moors introduced the fruit into the Iberian Peninsula, and there is evidence of it being cultivated in Córdoba in 961 and also in Seville in 1158. It spread northwards through southern Europe, perhaps limited in its advance by summer temperatures being insufficient for good yields. The fruit had begun appearing in European herbals by 1600, and was widely planted in Europe in the 17th century as a minor garden crop.{{cite book |last1=Maynard |first1=David |last2=Maynard |first2=Donald N. |year=2012 |editor-last=Kiple |editor-first=Kenneth F. |editor2-last=Ornelas |editor2-first=Kriemhild Coneè |chapter=Part II, Section C, Chapter 6: Cucumbers, Melons and Watermelons |title=The Cambridge World History of Food |volume=2 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=267–270 |doi=10.1017/CHOL9780521402156 |isbn=978-0-521-40215-6 |pmc=1044500 |pmid=16562324 }}

Early watermelons were not sweet, but bitter, with yellowish-white flesh. They were also difficult to open. The modern watermelon, which tastes sweeter and is easier to open, was developed over time through selective breeding.{{cite news|url=https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/lifestyle/2021/08/18/understanding-evolution-todays-watermelon/5536701001/|title=Understanding the evolution of today's watermelon|last=Szydlowski|first=Mike|work=Columbia Daily Tribune|date=18 August 2021|accessdate=3 November 2021|archive-date=30 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030053457/https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/lifestyle/2021/08/18/understanding-evolution-todays-watermelon/5536701001/|url-status=live}}

European colonists introduced the watermelon to the New World. Spanish settlers were growing it in Florida in 1576. It was being grown in Massachusetts by 1629, and by 1650 was being cultivated in Peru, Brazil and Panama. Around the same time, Native Americans were cultivating the crop in the Mississippi valley and Florida. Watermelons were rapidly accepted in Hawaii and other Pacific islands when they were introduced there by explorers such as Captain James Cook. In the Civil War era United States, watermelons were commonly grown by free black people and became one symbol for the abolition of slavery.{{cite web |last1=Black |first1=William R. |title=How Watermelons Became a Racist Trope |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/how-watermelons-became-a-racist-trope/383529/ |website=The Atlantic |date=8 December 2014 |publisher=The Atlantic Monthly Group |access-date=8 March 2020 |archive-date=12 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512185349/https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/12/how-watermelons-became-a-racist-trope/383529/ |url-status=live }} After the Civil War, black people were maligned for their association with watermelon. The sentiment evolved into a racist stereotype where black people shared a supposed voracious appetite for watermelon, a fruit long associated with laziness and uncleanliness.{{cite news |last1=Greenlee |first1=Cynthia |title=On eating watermelon in front of white people: "I'm not as free as I thought" |url=https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/8/29/20836933/watermelon-racist-history-black-people |access-date=29 August 2019 |work=Vox |date=29 August 2019 |archive-date=17 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217001815/https://www.vox.com/first-person/2019/8/29/20836933/watermelon-racist-history-black-people |url-status=live }}

Seedless watermelons were initially developed in 1939 by Japanese scientists who were able to create seedless triploid hybrids which remained rare initially because they did not have sufficient disease resistance.{{cite web|title=Production of Seedless Watermelons|url=https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT71326739/PDF|publisher=US Department of Agriculture|access-date=31 May 2017|date=15 June 1971|archive-date=27 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427211006/http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT71326739/PDF|url-status=live}} Seedless watermelons became more popular in the 21st century, rising to nearly 85% of total watermelon sales in the United States in 2014.{{cite web|last1=Naeve|first1=Linda|title=Watermelon|url=http://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/vegetables/watermelon/|website=agmrc.org|publisher=Agricultural Marketing Resource Center|access-date=31 May 2017|date=December 2015|archive-date=30 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730193926/http://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/vegetables/watermelon|url-status=live}}

A melon from the Kordofan region of Sudan {{ndash}} the kordofan melon {{ndash}} may be the progenitor of the modern, domesticated watermelon. The kordofan melon shares with the domestic watermelon loss of the bitterness gene while maintaining a sweet taste, unlike other wild African varieties from other regions, indicating a common origin, possibly cultivated in the Nile Valley by 2340 BC.

{{see also|Watermelon seed oil}}

{{nutritional value

| name=Watermelon flesh, raw

| kJ=127

| water=91.45 g

| protein=0.61 g

| fat=0.15 g

| carbs=7.55 g

| fiber=0.4 g

| sugars=6.2 g

| calcium_mg=7

| iron_mg=0.24

| magnesium_mg=10

| phosphorus_mg=11

| potassium_mg=112

| sodium_mg=1

| zinc_mg=0.1

| manganese_mg=0.038

| vitC_mg=8.1

| thiamin_mg=0.033

| riboflavin_mg=0.021

| niacin_mg=0.178

| pantothenic_mg=0.221

| vitB6_mg=0.045

| choline_mg=4.1

| vitA_ug=28

| betacarotene_ug=303

| opt1n=Lycopene

| opt1v=4532 μg

| source_usda = 1

| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167765/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]

}}

Watermelon fruit is 91% water, contains 6% sugars, and is low in fat (table).{{cite web |url=http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2072/2 |title=Watermelon, raw |work=Nutritional data |publisher=Self |access-date=5 October 2014 |archive-date=21 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721125508/http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/2072/2 |url-status=live }}

In a {{convert|100|g|oz|abbr=off|frac=2|adj=on}} serving, watermelon fruit supplies {{convert|125|kJ|kcal|abbr=off}} of food energy and low amounts of essential nutrients (see table). Only vitamin C is present in appreciable content at 10% of the Daily Value (table). Watermelon pulp contains carotenoids, including lycopene.{{cite journal|journal=J Agric Food Chem|year=2006|volume=54|issue=7|pages=2593–7|title=Carotenoid content of 50 watermelon cultivars|author1=Perkins-Veazie P |author2=Collins JK |author3=Davis AR |author4=Roberts W |pmid=16569049|doi=10.1021/jf052066p|bibcode=2006JAFC...54.2593P }}

The amino acid citrulline is produced in watermelon rind.{{cite journal|journal=J Chromatogr A|year=2005|volume=1078|issue=1–2|pages=196–200|title=Determination of citrulline in watermelon rind|author1=Rimando AM|author2=Perkins-Veazie PM|pmid=16007998|doi=10.1016/j.chroma.2005.05.009|url=https://naldc-legacy.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=37397&content=PDF|access-date=29 December 2018|archive-date=1 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501014343/https://naldc-legacy.nal.usda.gov/naldc/download.xhtml?id=37397&content=PDF|url-status=dead}}{{cite news |agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/watermelon-the-real-passion-fruit-1.764863 |title=CBC News – Health – Watermelon the real passion fruit? |publisher=CBC |date=3 July 2008 |access-date=3 August 2014 |archive-date=26 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526202002/http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/watermelon-the-real-passion-fruit-1.764863 |url-status=live }}

A number of cultivar groups have been identified:{{cite web|author=Porcher, Michel H.|title=Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database|work=Sorting Citrullus names|url=http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Citrullus.html#lanatus-vulgaris-gr|access-date=17 October 2013|archive-date=12 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111212074925/http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Citrullus.html#lanatus-vulgaris-gr|url-status=live}}

(syn. C. lanatus subsp. lanatus var. citroides; C. lanatus var. citroides; C. vulgaris var. citroides)

DNA data reveal that C. lanatus var. citroides Bailey is the same as Thunberg's bitter wooly melon, C. lanatus and also the same as C. amarus Schrad. It is not a form of the sweet watermelon C. vulgaris nor closely related to that species.

The citron melon or makataan – a variety with sweet yellow flesh that is cultivated around the world for fodder and the production of citron peel and pectin.{{cite web|title=Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai|publisher=South Africa National Biodiversity Institute|url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/citrullanat.htm|access-date=17 October 2013|archive-date=28 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528052426/http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantcd/citrullanat.htm|url-status=live}}

(syn. C. lanatus var. caffer)

C. caffer Schrad. is a synonym of C. amarus Schrad.

The variety known as tsamma is grown for its juicy white flesh. The variety was an important food source for travellers in the Kalahari Desert.

Another variety known as karkoer or bitterboela is unpalatable to humans, but the seeds may be eaten.

A small-fruited form with a bumpy skin has caused poisoning in sheep.

This is Linnaeus's sweet watermelon; it has been grown for human consumption for thousands of years.

• C. lanatus mucosospermus (Fursa) Fursa

This West African species is the closest wild relative of the watermelon. It is cultivated for cattle feed.

Additionally, other wild species have bitter fruit containing cucurbitacin.{{cite web|title=Citrullus lanatus (watermelon)|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens (Kew)|url=http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Citrullus-lanatus.htm|access-date=17 October 2013|archive-date=18 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618151457/http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Citrullus-lanatus.htm|url-status=live}}

C. colocynthis (L.) Schrad. ex Eckl. & Zeyh.,

C. rehmii De Winter, and

C. naudinianus (Sond.) Hook.f.

The more than 1,200{{cite web | url = http://agsyst.wsu.edu/Watermelon.html | title = Vegetable Research & Extension Center – Icebox Watermelons | access-date = 2 August 2008 | archive-date = 7 April 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170407185324/http://agsyst.wsu.edu/Watermelon.html | url-status = live }} cultivars of watermelon range in weight from less than {{convert|1|kg|lb|frac=4|abbr=off}} to more than {{convert|90|kg|lb|abbr=on}}; the flesh can be red, pink, orange, yellow or white.{{cite web | url = http://vegetables.wsu.edu/WatermelonPhotos.html | title = Watermelon Variety Descriptions | publisher = Washington State University | access-date = 2 October 2014 | archive-date = 6 October 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141006065530/http://vegetables.wsu.edu/WatermelonPhotos.html | url-status = live }}

• The 'Carolina Cross' produced the current world record for heaviest watermelon, weighing {{convert|159|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. It has green skin, red flesh and commonly produces fruit between {{convert|65|and|150|lb|kg|order=flip|abbr=on}}. It takes about 90 days from planting to harvest.{{cite web |url=http://georgia4h.org/watermeloncontest/tips.htm |title=Watermelon growing contest |year=2005 |work=Georgia 4H |publisher=The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences |access-date=5 October 2014 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006071833/http://georgia4h.org/watermeloncontest/tips.htm |url-status=dead }}
• The 'Golden Midget' has a golden rind and pink flesh when ripe, and takes 70 days from planting to harvest.{{cite web | url = http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=1107 | title = Golden Midget Watermelon | access-date = 5 October 2014 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071011024524/http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=1107 |archive-date=11 October 2007 }}
• The 'Orangeglo' has a very sweet orange flesh, and is a large, oblong fruit weighing {{convert|9|–|14|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. It has a light green rind with jagged dark green stripes. It takes about 90–100 days from planting to harvest.{{cite web| url = http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=1108 | title = Orangeglo Watermelon | access-date = 23 April 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230140/http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=1108 |archive-date = 27 September 2007}}
• The 'Moon and Stars' variety was created in 1926.{{cite web | url = http://rareseeds.com/seeds/Watermelon/Moon-and-Stars | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071217100450/http://rareseeds.com/seeds/Watermelon/Moon-and-Stars | archive-date = 17 December 2007 |work=rareseeds.com| title = Moon and Stars Watermelon Heirloom | access-date = 15 July 2008}} The rind is purple/black and has many small yellow circles (stars) and one or two large yellow circles (moon). The melon weighs {{convert|9|–|23|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.{{cite news| url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/16/HOG4UDNGDB1.DTL | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071013160130/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/16/HOG4UDNGDB1.DTL | archive-date = 13 October 2007 | title = Moon & Stars watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) – Seed-spittin' melons makin' a comeback | work=San Francisco Chronicle| date = 15 July 2005 | access-date = 6 July 2007 | last = Evans | first = Lynette}} The flesh is pink or red and has brown seeds. The foliage is also spotted. The time from planting to harvest is about 90 days.{{cite web | url = http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=266 | title = Moon and Stars Watermelon | access-date = 23 April 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070602143014/http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=266 |archive-date = 2 June 2007}}
• The 'Cream of Saskatchewan' has small, round fruits about {{convert|25|cm|in|abbr=on|0}} in diameter. It has a thin, light and dark green striped rind, and sweet white flesh with black seeds. It can grow well in cool climates. It was originally brought to Saskatchewan, Canada, by Russian immigrants. The melon takes 80–85 days from planting to harvest.{{cite web| url = http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=778 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090221073205/http://www.seedsavers.org/Details.aspx?itemNo=778 | archive-date = 21 February 2009 | title = Watermelon, Cream Saskatchewan | work=seedsavers.org}}
• The 'Melitopolski' has small, round fruits roughly {{convert|28|–|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter. It is an early ripening variety that originated from the Astrakhan region of Russia, an area known for cultivation of watermelons. The Melitopolski watermelons are seen piled high by vendors in Moscow in the summer. This variety takes around 95 days from planting to harvest.{{cite web| url = http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=267 | title = Melitopolski Watermelon | access-date = 23 April 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927230154/http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=267 |archive-date = 27 September 2007}}
• The 'Densuke' watermelon has round fruit up to {{convert|11|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. The rind is black with no stripes or spots. It is grown only on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, where up to 10,000 watermelons are produced every year. In June 2008, one of the first harvested watermelons was sold at an auction for 650,000 yen (US$6,300), making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold. The average selling price is generally around 25,000 yen ($250).{{cite news| url = http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJBRT0pnOdQVMUzzkKC_cGHo7IdQD914F62O0 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080609032322/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJBRT0pnOdQVMUzzkKC_cGHo7IdQD914F62O0 | archive-date = 9 June 2008 | title = Black Japanese watermelon sold at record price | access-date = 10 June 2008|author=Hosaka, Tomoko A.|date=6 June 2008|agency=Associated Press}}
• Many cultivars are no longer grown commercially because of their thick rind, but seeds may be available among home gardeners and specialty seed companies. This thick rind is desirable for making watermelon pickles, and some old cultivars favoured for this purpose include 'Tom Watson', 'Georgia Rattlesnake', and 'Black Diamond'.

File:Pasteques, extrait d'un tableau de Giovanni Stanchi.jpeg|right]]

Charles Fredrick Andrus, a horticulturist at the USDA Vegetable Breeding Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina, set out to produce a disease-resistant and wilt-resistant watermelon. The result, in 1954, was "that gray melon from Charleston". Its oblong shape and hard rind made it easy to stack and ship. Its adaptability meant it could be grown over a wide geographical area. It produced high yields and was resistant to the most serious watermelon diseases: anthracnose and fusarium wilt.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120328100628/http://video.theeagle.com/news/2007/jul/16/watermelon_developer_dies_at10679/?print "Watermelon developer dies at 101"]. Post and Courier, 16 July 2007

Others were also working on disease-resistant cultivars; J. M. Crall at the University of Florida produced 'Jubilee' in 1963 and C. V. Hall of Kansas State University produced 'Crimson Sweet' the following year. These are no longer grown to any great extent, but their lineage has been further developed into hybrid varieties with higher yields, better flesh quality and attractive appearance. Another objective of plant breeders has been the elimination of the seeds which occur scattered throughout the flesh. This has been achieved through the use of triploid varieties, but these are sterile, and the cost of producing the seed by crossing a tetraploid parent with a normal diploid parent is high.

As of 2017, farmers in approximately 44 states in the United States grew watermelon commercially, producing more than $500 million worth of the fruit annually.{{Cite web |title=index : USDA ARS |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/oc/br/watermelon/index/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=ars.usda.gov}} Georgia, Florida, Texas, California and Arizona are the United States' largest watermelon producers, with Florida producing more watermelon than any other state.{{Cite web| url=https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida-produces-more-watermelon-than-any-other-state| title=Florida produces more watermelon than any other state| date=16 July 2019| access-date=6 August 2019| archive-date=6 August 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806225347/https://www.clickorlando.com/news/florida-produces-more-watermelon-than-any-other-state| url-status=live}} This now-common fruit is often large enough that groceries often sell half or quarter melons. Some smaller, spherical varieties of watermelon—both red- and yellow-fleshed—are sometimes called "icebox melons".{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Good+reasons+for+icebox+melons.-a03751171 |title=Good reasons for icebox melons |date=1 May 1985 |work=The Free Library |publisher=Sunset |access-date=4 October 2014 |archive-date=20 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420184423/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/403.htm |url-status=live }} The largest recorded fruit was grown in Tennessee in 2013 and weighed {{convert|159|kg|lb|abbr=off}}.{{cite web|title=Heaviest watermelon|date=4 October 2013 |publisher=Guinness World Records|access-date=2 July 2015|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-watermelon|archive-date=3 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703035610/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-watermelon|url-status=live}}

Watermelon is a sweet, commonly consumed fruit of summer, usually as fresh slices, diced in mixed fruit salads, or as juice.{{cite web|title=Watermelon|url=http://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/vegetables/watermelon/|publisher=g Marketing Resource Center, US Department of Agriculture, Iowa State University|access-date=9 May 2017|date=2017|archive-date=30 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170730193926/http://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/vegetables/watermelon|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Top 10 ways to enjoy watermelon|url=http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/top-10-ways-to-enjoy-watermelon|publisher=Produce for Better Health Foundation, Centers for Disease Control, US National Institutes of Health|access-date=9 May 2017|date=2017|archive-date=29 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729190952/http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/top-10-ways-to-enjoy-watermelon|url-status=live}} Watermelon juice can be blended with other fruit juices or made into wine.{{cite journal|pmc=4639538|year=2015|last1=Ogodo|first1=A. C.|title=Production of mixed fruit (pawpaw, banana and watermelon) wine using Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from palm wine|journal=SpringerPlus|volume=4|page=683|last2=Ugbogu|first2=O. C.|last3=Ugbogu|first3=A. E.|last4=Ezeonu|first4=C. S.|doi=10.1186/s40064-015-1475-8|pmid=26576326 |doi-access=free }}

The seeds have a nutty flavor and can be dried and roasted, or ground into flour. Watermelon rinds may be eaten, but their unappealing flavor may be overcome by pickling,{{cite book |volume=1 |author=Todd C. Wehner |title=Vegetables I |chapter=Watermelon |publisher=Springer |year=2008 |pages=381–418 |editor=Jaime Prohens and Fernando Nuez|doi=10.1007/978-0-387-30443-4_12|series=Handbook of Plant Breeding |isbn=978-0-387-72291-7 }} sometimes eaten as a vegetable, stir-fried or stewed.{{cite book|author=Bryant Terry|title=Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine|url=https://archive.org/details/vegansoulkitchen00terr|url-access=registration|year=2009|publisher=Da Capo Press|isbn=978-0-7867-4503-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/vegansoulkitchen00terr/page/46 46]}}

Citrullis lanatus, variety caffer, grows wild in the Kalahari Desert, where it is known as tsamma. The fruits are used by the San people and wild animals for both water and nourishment, allowing survival on a diet of tsamma for six weeks.

The watermelon is used variously as a symbol of Palestinian resistance,{{cite web |last=Holtermann |first=Callie |date=2023-12-27 |title=Why the Watermelon Emoji Is a Symbol of Support for Palestinians |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/27/style/watermelon-emoji-palestine.html |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=The New York Times}}{{cite news |title=Watermelon: A slice of Palestinian resistance |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/video/watermelon-slice-palestinian-resistance |work=Middle East Eye |date=17 August 2022 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Sharon |first1=Jeremy |title=Activists use watermelons to protest police crackdown on Palestinian flags |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/activists-use-watermelons-to-protest-police-crackdown-on-palestinian-flags/ |work=The Times of Israel |date=21 June 2023}} of the Kherson region in Ukraine, and of eco-socialism, as in 'green on the outside, red on the inside'. Because it is mostly water, the watermelon has been used to symbolize abrosexuality, a "fluid" or changing sexual orientation.{{cite web |title=What does Abrosexual mean? |url=https://proudzebra.com/blogs/gender-identities/about-abrosexual#:~:text=The%20Abrosexual%20Pride%20Flag%20was,representative%20of%20being%20%22fluid%22. |website=ProudZebra}}{{cite web |title=GET TO KNOW THE MEANING BEHIND THE COLORS OF MAJOR PRIDE FLAGS |url=https://www.sfgmc.org/blog/pride-flags#block-yui_3_17_2_1_1683145657332_176298 |website=SFGMC}} In the United States, the watermelon has also been used as a racist stereotype associated with African Americans.{{Cite journal |last=Black |first=William R. |date=2018 |title=How Watermelons Became Black: Emancipation and the Origins of a Racist Trope |journal=Journal of the Civil War Era |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=64–86 |jstor=26381503 |issn=2154-4727}}

Watermelons are plants grown from tropical to temperate climates, needing temperatures higher than about {{convert|25|°C}} to thrive. On a garden scale, seeds are usually sown in pots under cover and transplanted into the ground. Ideal conditions are a well-drained sandy loam with a pH between 5.7 and 7.2.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fao.org/land-water/databases-and-software/crop-information/watermelon/en/|title=Watermelon | Land & Water | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | Land & Water | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations|website=fao.org|access-date=20 February 2023|archive-date=20 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220211242/https://www.fao.org/land-water/databases-and-software/crop-information/watermelon/en/|url-status=live}}

Major pests of the watermelon include aphids, fruit flies, and root-knot nematodes. In conditions of high humidity, the plants are prone to plant diseases such as powdery mildew and mosaic virus.{{cite book|title=The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Gardening |editor-last1=Brickell |editor-first1=Christopher |year=1992 |location=London |type=Print |publisher=Dorling Kindersley |isbn=978-0-86318-979-1 |page=333}} Some varieties often grown in Japan and other parts of the Far East are susceptible to fusarium wilt. Grafting such varieties onto disease-resistant rootstocks offers protection.

File:Watermelon seedless.jpg

The US Department of Agriculture recommends using at least one beehive per acre ({{convert|1|acre|m2|disp=out}} per hive) for pollination of conventional, seeded varieties for commercial plantings. Seedless hybrids have sterile pollen. This requires planting pollinizer rows of varieties with viable pollen. Since the supply of viable pollen is reduced, and pollination is much more critical in producing the seedless variety, the recommended number of hives per acre increases to three hives per acre ({{convert|1/3|acre|m2|disp=out}} per hive). Watermelons have a longer growing period than other melons and can often take 85 days or more from the time of transplanting for the fruit to mature. Lack of pollen is thought to contribute to "hollow heart" which causes the flesh of the watermelon to develop a large hole, sometimes in an intricate, symmetric shape. Watermelons suffering from hollow heart are safe to consume.{{cite conference |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267277292|title= Conditions Influencing Hollow Heart Disorder in Triploid Watermelon|first1=Gordon C.|last1=Johnson|first2=Emmalea Garver|last2=Ernest|date=September 2011|conference= ASHS Annual Conference}}{{cite web|url=http://www1.udel.edu/udaily/2015/jun/watermelons-061815.html|title=Saving watermelons|last=Thomas|first=Adam|date=18 June 2015|publisher=University of Delaware|access-date=26 June 2020|archive-date=29 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629053748/http://www1.udel.edu/udaily/2015/jun/watermelons-061815.html|url-status=live}}

Farmers of the Zentsuji region of Japan found a way to grow cubic watermelons by growing the fruits in metal and glass boxes and making them assume the shape of the receptacle.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1390088.stm|title=Square fruit stuns Japanese shoppers|publisher=BBC News|date=15 June 2001|access-date=14 July 2005|archive-date=21 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621172608/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1390088.stm|url-status=live}} The cubic shape was originally designed to make the melons easier to stack and store, but these "square watermelons" may be triple the price of normal ones, so appeal mainly to wealthy urban consumers. Pyramid-shaped watermelons have also been developed, and any polyhedral shape may potentially be used.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JNSpMhJLvg | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/2JNSpMhJLvg| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Square watermelons Japan. English version |via=YouTube |date=6 November 2013 |access-date=3 August 2014}}{{cbignore}}

Watermelons, which are called {{lang|khi|tsamma}} in Khoisan language and {{lang|tn|makataan}} in Tswana language, are important water sources in South Africa, the Kalahari Desert, and East Africa for both humans and animals.{{cite book |last1=K |first1=Lim T. |title=Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 2, Fruits |date=30 January 2012 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-94-007-1764-0 |pages=180–181 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4MDEqFGeKVoC&pg=PA180 |access-date=24 October 2022 |language=en |archive-date=13 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313192621/https://books.google.com/books?id=4MDEqFGeKVoC&pg=PA180 |url-status=live }}

File:China production of watermelons from 1961 to 2020.svg of the United Nations.]]

In 2020, global production of watermelons was 101.6 million tonnes, with China (mainland) accounting for 60% of the total (60.1 million tonnes).{{cite web |title=Watermelon production in 2020, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity (pick lists) |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data |website=FAOSTAT |publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database |access-date=20 January 2022 |archive-date=12 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112130804/https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data |url-status=live }} Secondary producers included Turkey, India, Iran, Algeria and Brazil {{ndash}} all having annual production of 2–3 million tonnes in 2020.

File:Watermelon cubes BNC.jpg|Watermelon cubes

File:Melonen-stapel.jpg|Watermelons with dark green rind, India

File:Watermelon flower measurement.jpg|Watermelon flowers

File:Water melon leave.jpg|Watermelon leaf

File:Male and female watermelon 1458.JPG|Flower stems of male and female watermelon blossoms, showing ovary on the female

File:Water melon flower and stem.jpg|Watermelon plant close-up

File:WatermelonBaller.JPG|Watermelon baller

File:Citrullus lanatus.jpg|Watermelon with yellow flesh

File:It weighed 15 lb 13 oz.jpg|'Moon and stars' watermelon cultivar

File:Kustodiev Merchants Wife.jpg|Watermelon and other fruit in Boris Kustodiev's Merchant's Wife

File:Watermelon for sale.jpg|Watermelon for sale

File:Watermelon out for sale.jpg|Watermelon out for sale in Maa Kochilei Market, Rasulgarh, Odisha, India

File:Watermelon grown in Buryatia, Siberia.jpg|Watermelon grown in Buryatia, Siberia

File:Watermelon12.jpg|Watermelon rind curry

File:Roasted watermelon seeds 2.jpg|Roasted and salted watermelon seeds

File:Семечко арбуза.jpg|Watermelon seed under a microscope

File:Slices of watermelon.jpg|alt=Watermelon pieces|Watermelon, sliced into pieces

File:Sugar Baby watermelon explodes when a small incision is made in its peel.jpg|Very ripe Sugar Baby watermelon, grown in Oklahoma, bursts open when a small incision is made into its rind

File:Watermelon yellow 2024 G1.jpg|Watermelon with yellow flesh

File:Watermelon_ice_pop1.jpg|Ice pop

{{portal|Food}}

• List of fruits

{{Reflist}}

• Dube, J., G. Ddamulira, and M. Maphosa. [http://ir.lsu.ac.zw/bitstream/123456789/535/1/Dube_J....et%20al.pdf "Watermelon Production in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities"]. International Journal of Vegetable Science 27.3 (2021): 211–219.
• Maoto, Makaepea M., Daniso Beswa, and Afam IO Jideani. [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10942912.2019.1584212 "Watermelon as a Potential Fruit Snack"]. International Journal of food properties 22.1 (2019): 355–370.
• Tabiri, Betty, et al. (2016). [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323663320_Watermelon_Seeds_as_Food_Nutrient_CompositionPhytochemicals_and_Antioxidant_Activity "Watermelon Seeds as Food: Nutrient Composition, Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity"]. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences 5:2.

{{Wikispecies|Citrullus vulgaris}}

{{Commons category|Citrullus lanatus}}

{{Cookbook}}

• [https://www.watermelon.org/ Watermelon.org] from the US National Watermelon Promotion Board

{{Melons}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q17507129}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Edible fruits

Category:Crops originating from Africa

Category:Citrullus

Category:Flora naturalised in Australia

Category:Fruits originating in Africa

Category:Melons