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Citrullus lanatus
| Common name: |
Water Melon |
Family: |
Cucurbitaceae |
| Author: |
(Thunb.)Matsum.&Nakai. |
Botanical references: |
200 |
| Synonyms: |
Citrullus vulgaris (Schräd.) |
| Known Hazards: |
The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[65]. |
| Range: |
Tropical and S. Africa. |
| Habitat: |
A weed of roadsides and open ground in desert areas[117]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
2 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| C. aedulis[G]
C. citrullus[B,P]
C. lanatus var. caffer[G]
C. lanatus var. lanatus[B,G,P]
Colocynthis citrullus[G,P]
Cucubertia citrullus[B,P]
Cucurbita citrullus[G]
Momordica lanata[B,P]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Han Kua [E], Hsi Kua [E], Melon D'Eau [E], Patilla [E], Qarbuz [E], Raggi [E], Semongka [E], Shuti [E], Water Melon [L,E], Watermeloen [D], Watermelon [E,B,H,P], Yang Ch'I Kua [E], |
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
lanatus = wooly;
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Violales. Cucumber family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Bahamas; China; Dominican Republic; France; Haiti; Hawaii; Iraq; Java; Kurdistan; Lesotho; Mexico; Turkay; Us
|
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.5m by 2m . It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects.
We rate it 2/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Fruit; Leaves; Oil; Pectin; Seed.
Fruit - raw. A very refreshing fruit[1, 2, 22, 46, 183], it has a
delicate sweetness with an extremely high water content, the fruit is often
used as a refreshing drink[183]. The unripe fruits are added to soups[183]. A
syrup can also be made from the juice[183]. The fruit is a rich source of
pectin[218, 240], and can be added to pectin-low fruits when making jam[K].
Pectin is said to protect the body against radiation[201]. The fruit varies
considerably in size from cultivar to cultivar, but can be up to 1 metre long
and 40cm wide[200]. A nutritional analysis is available[218].
Leaves - cooked.
Seed - raw or cooked[63, 86, 117, 183]. They can be roasted or ground into a
powder and used with cereal flours when making bread, cakes etc, or added to
soups and stews[163, 105, 83]. The seed contains about 30% protein, 20 - 40%
oil[61].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[63, 105, 183]. Composition
- Seed (Dry weight)
-
In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0
Calories: 559
Protein: 19.8
Fat: 41.7
Carbohydrate: 34.5
Fibre: 24.2
Ash: 3.9
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 129
Phosphorus: 831
Source: [218]
- Fruit (Dry weight)
-
In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0
Calories: 344
Protein: 7.8
Fat: 1.6
Carbohydrate: 85.9
Fibre: 6.3
Ash: 4.7
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 125
Phosphorus: 141
Iron: 4.7
Potassium: 1351
VitaminA: 4300
Thiamine: 0.5
Riboflavin: 0.6
Source: [218]
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Cardiac; Demulcent; Diuretic; Enuresis; Febrifuge; Pectoral; Purgative; Tonic; Vermifuge.
The seed is demulcent, diuretic, pectoral and tonic[4, 218]. It is
sometimes used in the treatment of the urinary passages[4] and has been used
to treat bed wetting[257]. The seed is also a good vermifuge[4] and has a
hypotensive action[7]. A fatty oil in the seed, as well as aqueous or
alcoholic extracts, paralyze tapeworms and roundworms[240].
The fruit, eaten when fully ripe or even when almost putrid, is used as a
febrifuge[4] The fruit is also diuretic, being effective in the treatment of
dropsy and renal stones[7]. The fruit contains the substance lycopine (which
is also found in the skins of tomatoes). This substance has been shown to
protect the body from heart attacks and, in the case of the tomato at least,
is more effective when it is cooked[246].
The rind of the fruit is prescribed in cases of alcoholic poisoning and
diabetes[218].
The root is purgative and in large dose is said to be a certain emetic[4]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Oil.
The seed contains 20 - 40% oil. As well as being edible, it is also
used for making soap and for lighting[117].
Face masks made from the fruit are used as a cosmetic on delicate skins[7].
Cultivation details
Prefers a rich sandy loam and a very sunny position[1, 117, 200]. A
drought resistant plant once established, it is intolerant of wet soils[117].
Tolerates a pH in the range 5.3 to 8.
The water melon is frequently grown for its edible fruit in warm temperate
and tropical areas, there are many named varieties[183]. It is not frost
hardy and requires a long hot summer if it is to fruit well. It is not really
a suitable crop for growing outdoors in Britain at the present time, though
it is possible that new faster maturing cultivars will be developed. It is
best grown in greenhouse conditions in Britain[K]. The cultivars 'Fordbrook
hybrid', New Hampshire midget' and 'Sugar baby' mature in 80 - 85 days in
Long Island, New York[200].
A good companion plant for potatoes[20].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a rich compost in a greenhouse. Either put 2-3
seeds in each pot and thin to the best plant, or prick out the seedlings into
individual pots of rich soil as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow
them on fast and, if trying them outside, plant out after the last expected
frosts. Give them some protection, such as a cloche or a frame, at least
until they are growing away vigorously.
Cultivars
- 'Sugar Baby'
- There are no cultivars suitable for outdoor cultivation in Britain as yet, though new, earlier forms are being developed. This is one of the earliest maturing varieties developed to date (1994). It matures in 80 - 85 days in Long Island, New York and should be suitable for cold-greenhouse cultivation in this country[200].
- 'New Hampshire Midget'
- There are no cultivars suitable for outdoor cultivation in Britain as yet, though new, earlier forms are being developed. This is one of the earliest maturing varieties developed to date (1994). It matures in 80 - 85 days in Long Island, New York and should be suitable for cold-greenhouse cultivation in this country[200].
- 'Fordbrook Hybrid'
- There are no cultivars suitable for outdoor cultivation in Britain as yet, though new, earlier forms are being developed. This is one of the earliest maturing varieties developed to date (1994). It matures in 80 - 85 days in Long Island, New York and should be suitable for cold-greenhouse cultivation in this country[200].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
References for Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus (a possible synonym).
References for Citrullus vulgaris (a possible synonym).
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.
[22] Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.
Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[63] Howes. F. N. Nuts. Faber 1948
Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.
[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
[83] Evans. R. L. Handbook of Cultivated Sedums. Science Reviews 1983
Deals with the genus Sedum. Fairly easy reading, it gives cultivation details and some notes on habitats.
[86] Organ. J. Gourds. Faber 1963
Deals with squashes and their relatives. Interesting and readable, it gives cultivation techniques and some details of plant uses.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[117] Rosengarten. jnr. F. The Book of Edible Nuts. Walker & Co. 1984 ISBN 0802707699
A very readable and comprehensive guide. Well illustrated.
[163] RHS Lily Group. Lilies and Related Plants.
Lots of interesting snippets about plants in the family Liliaceae (in the old, broad sense)
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
[246] Radio 4 AM - 1997
A news item on the Radio 4 morning news programme 'AM', 15/10/97.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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