Scientific Name:
Citrullus lanatus
Pronunciation:
sih-TRIL-lus lah-NAH-tus
Common Name:
watermelon
Family Name:
Cucurbitaceae
Plant Type:
Annual (true)
Key ID Features:
Vine-like scrambler; stems thin, angular, hairy, grooved, with branched tendrils; leaves alternate, deeply lobed and/ or toothed, ovate, 7-20cm long x 5-15cm wide, pubescent, base cordate; flowers funnelform, 3-8cm wide, yellow, male flowers with 3 stamens, female flowers on same plant with and inferior ovary and a coral like stigma; fruit with smooth exterior rind (often green with dark green stripes) and juicy interior flesh, very sweet and usually red (>100 cvs. and some have orange and yellow flesh).
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like
Texture:
Very coarse
Mature Height:
0.2 - 0.4m
Mature Spread:
2 - 3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Africa (Southern Africa)
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 7: (-18 to -12 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Medicinal plant, Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Prickly
Surfaces:
Pubescent
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute, Rounded
Bases:
Cordate
Margins:
Dentate, Palmately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Funnelform
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Yellow
Flower Scent:
None
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug
Fruit Type:
Pepo
Fruit Colour:
(Green - variegated)
Fruiting Time:
Aug
Additional Info:
Showy
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Tendrils
Propagation:
Seed
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids or adelgids, Caterpillar or cutworm, Leaf miner insect, Mildew, Mites
