Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus

Watermelon

About

The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) is a vine-like flowering plant that belongs to the family of Cucurbitaceae. The plant is native to southern Africa.

The watermelon is an annual plant that has long, weak, climbing or trailing stems which are five sided and can grow up to 3 metres (or 10 feet) long. The plant has hairy and coarse, pinnately-lobed leaves and the colour of its flowers ranges from white to yellow. The tasty fruit watermelon is actually a special kind of berry. It has a hard, but smooth rind and no internal division, so botanically speaking the watermelon is a pepo. The fruit’s flesh that varies in colour from deep red to pink (but can also be yellow, white or orange) is usually sweet and very juicy. The fruit’s flesh contains many seeds that can be hard and black or white and soft.