Watermelon 79694 226033803 2008-07-16T15:09:39Z Deeceevoice 72454 /* External links */ deleted link to commercial website {{for|the political designation|Eco-socialism}} {{Taxobox | name = Watermelon | image = Vampire watermelon.jpg | image_width = 200px | image_caption = watermelon | regnum = [[Plantae]] | divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]] | classis = [[Magnoliopsida]] | ordo = [[Cucurbitales]] | familia = [[Cucurbitaceae]] | genus = ''[[Citrullus]]'' | species = '''''C. lanatus ''''' | binomial = ''Citrullus lanatus'' | binomial_authority = ([[Carl Peter Thunberg|Thunb]].) [[Ninzo Matsumura|Matsum.]] & [[Takenoshin Nakai|Nakai]] }} '''Watermelon''' (''Citrullus lanatus'' ([[Carl Peter Thunberg|Thunb.]]) Matsum & Nakai, family [[Cucurbitaceae]]) refers to both [[fruit]] and [[plant]] of a vine-like (climber and trailer) [[herb]] originally from southern [[Africa]] and one of the most common types of [[melon]]. This [[flowering plant]] produces a special type of fruit known by [[botany|botanists]] as a [[Epigynous berry|pepo]], which has a thick [[Peel (fruit)|rind]] ([[Pericarp|exocarp]]) and fleshy center (mesocarp and endocarp); pepos are derived from an inferior ovary and are characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae. The watermelon fruit, loosely considered a type of [[melon]] (although not in the genus ''[[Cucumis]]''), has a smooth exterior rind (green and yellow) and a juicy, sweet, usually pink, red, or yellow, but sometimes orange, interior flesh. The flesh consists of highly developed placental tissue within the fruit. ==History== [[David Livingstone]], an explorer of Africa, described watermelon as abundant in the [[Kalahari desert]], where it is believed to have originated. There, the ancestral melon grows wild and is known as the '''Tsamma''' melon (''Citrullus lanatus var tastius'').{{Fact|date=February 2007}} It is also known in Zimbabwe as 'nwiwa, mwiwa or iswe'. It is recognizable by its [[pinnatifid]] leaves and prolific fruit, up to 100 melons on a single vine.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} For this reason it is a popular source of water in the diet of the indigenous people. The flesh is similar to the [[rind]] of a watermelon and is often known as [[citron melon]] (distinct from the actual [[citron]], of the citrus family); it is used for making jam and other preserves, and because of its high content of [[pectin]] is popular as a constituent of jams, jellies, and other gelled preserves. It has established itself in the wild in [[Baja California]]. [[Image:5563390 2d68886926 o.jpg|left|thumb|Watermelons on display by a roadside vendor in [[Delhi]], [[India]]]] It is not known when the plant was first cultivated, but Zohary and Hopf note evidence of its cultivation in the [[Nile Valley]] from at least as early as the [[second millennium BC]]. Finds of the characteristically large seed are reported in [[Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt|Twelfth dynasty]] sites; numerous watermelon seeds were recovered from the tomb of [[Pharaoh]] [[Tutankhamun]].<ref>Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, ''Domestication of Plants in the Old World'', third edition (Oxford: University Press, 2000), p. 193.</ref> By the 10th century AD, watermelons were being cultivated in [[China]], which is today the world's single largest watermelon producer. By the 13th century, [[Moors|Moorish]] invaders had introduced the fruit to Europe; and, according to John Mariani's ''The Dictionary of American Food and Drink'', "watermelon" made its first appearance in an English dictionary in 1615. In Vietnam, legend holds that watermelon was discovered in Vietnam long before it reached China, in the era of the [[Hùng]] Kings. According to legend, watermelon was discovered by Prince Mai [[An Tiêm]], an adopted son of the 11th Hùng King. When he was exiled unjustly to an island, he was told that if he could survive for six months, he would be allowed to return. When he prayed for guidance, a bird flew past and dropped a seed. He cultivated the seed and called its fruit "dưa tây" or western melon, because the birds who ate it flew from the west. When the Chinese took over Vietnam in about 110 BC, they called the melons "dưa hảo" (good melon) or "dưa hấu", "dưa Tây", "dưa hảo", "dưa hấu"&mdash;all words for "watermelon". An Tiêm's island is now a peninsula in the suburban district of Nga Sơn.<ref>[http://www.fairy-tale.info/index.php/action_show_id_NDl8PDwmPj58NTR8PDwmPj58NTF8PDwmPj58.html Watermelon Magic, a Tale from Vietnam], ''Fairy-tales.info'', webpage found 2007-11-26.</ref><ref>"Juicy Details: Ian Swift Dives into the Legend of the Watermelon". ''Vietnam Investment Review'', June 2003.</ref> ''Museums Online South Africa'' list watermelons as having been introduced to [[North America]]n [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] in the 1500s. Early French explorers found Native Americans cultivating the fruit in the [[Mississippi Valley]]. Many sources list the watermelon as being introduced in [[Massachusetts]] as early as 1629. [[Southern United States|Southern]] food historian John Egerton has said he believes African [[Atlantic slave trade|slaves]] helped introduce the watermelon to the [[United States]]. Texas Agricultural Extension horticulturalist Jerry Parsons lists African slaves and European colonists as having distributed watermelons to many areas of the world. Parsons also mentions the crop being farmed by Native Americans in [[Florida]] (by 1664) and the [[Colorado River]] area (by 1799). Other early watermelon sightings include the [[US Midwest|Midwestern states]] (1673), [[Connecticut]] (1747), and the [[Illiana]] region (1822). [[Image:Watermelon seedless.jpg|thumb|left|Seedless Watermelon.]] Until the 1940s, however, it was hard to find watermelons in good condition at grocery stores. Melon lovers had to grow their own, which tended not to keep for long, purchase them from local grocers supplied by [[Truck farming|truck farmers]], or purchase them from roadside produce stands. Now they can be found in most local grocery stores, and if preferred in slices or whole, with seeds or without. Charles Fredric Andrus, a horticulturist at the [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] Vegetable Breeding Laboratory in [[Charleston, South Carolina]], set out to produce a disease-resistant and wilt-resistant watermelon. The result 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]]. Today, farmers in approximately 44 states in the U.S. grow watermelon commercially, and almost all these varieties have some ''Charleston Gray'' in their lineage. [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Florida]], [[Texas]], [[California]] and [[Arizona]] are the USA's largest watermelon producers. This now-common watermelon is large enough that groceries often sell half or quarter melons. There are also some smaller, spherical varieties of watermelon, both red- and yellow-fleshed, sometimes called "icebox melons." ==Culture== [[Image:Male and female watermelon 1458.JPG|right|thumb| Flower stems of male and female watermelon blossoms, showing [[Ovary (plants)|ovary]] (incipient fruit if pollinated) on the female]] For commercial plantings, one [[beehive]] per acre (over 9,000 m² per hive) is the minimum recommendation by the US Department of Agriculture for [[pollination]] of conventional, seeded varieties. Because seedless hybrids have sterile pollen, [[pollinizer]] rows of varieties with viable pollen must also be planted. 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, or [[pollinator]] density, increases to three hives per acre (1,300 m² per hive). [[Image:Square watermelon.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Square watermelon from Japan]] In [[Japan]], farmers of the [[Zentsuji]] region found a way to grow cubic watermelons, by growing the fruits in glass boxes and letting them naturally assume the shape of the receptacle.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1390088.stm (BBC) Square fruit stuns Japanese shoppers] BBC News Friday, 15 June, 2001, 10:54 GMT 11:54 UK</ref> The square shape is designed to make the melons easier to stack and store, but the square watermelons are often more than double the price of normal ones. Pyramid shaped watermelons have also been developed. <center> <gallery> Image:Watermelon Leaves 2540px.jpg|A group of watermelon leaves Image:Single Watermelon Leaf 2000px.jpg|A closeup of a watermelon leaf </gallery> </center> ===Seedless watermelons=== Although so-called "seedless" watermelons have far fewer seeds than the seeded varieties, they generally contain at least a few soft, pale seeds. They are the product of crossing a female [[tetraploid]] plant (itself the product of [[genetic manipulation]], using [[colchicine]]) with [[diploid]] [[pollen]]. The resulting [[triploid]] plant is sterile, but will produce the seedless fruit if pollenized by a diploid plant. For this reason, commercially available seedless watermelon seeds actually contain two varieties of seeds; that of the triploid seedless plant itself (recognizable because the seed is larger), and the diploid plant which is needed to pollenize the triploid. Unless both plant types are grown in the same vicinity, no seedless fruit will result. This system for growing seedless watermelons was first developed by H. Kihara in Japan and subsequently improved by O J Eigsti in partnership with Kihara. This scientific relationship was begun at the Third International Genetics Congress, held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1948. Their collaboration lasted for over 20 years until Kihara died in 1986. Eigsti (who was a professor at Goshen College in Goshen, IN) developed a tetraploid hybrid in the 1950s which became the gold standard for all seedless watermelons developed since then. In 1986, Eigsti's company was reorganized and a joint venture (American Sunmelon) was entered into with SunWorld International and in the ensuing eleven years seedless watermelon became a staple in supermarkets around the world. In 1998, Eigsti's tetraploid hybrid along with all of the assets of American Sunmelon were sold to Syngenta, the seed producing arm of Novartis A.G. ==As food and drink== [[Image:2005watermelon.PNG|thumb|left|Watermelon output in 2005]] {{nutritionalvalue | name=Watermelon, raw (edible parts) | kJ=127 | protein=0.61 g | fat=0.15 g | carbs=7.55 g | fiber=0.4 g | water=91.45 g | sugars=6.2 g | iron_mg=0.24 | calcium_mg=7 | magnesium_mg=10 | phosphorus_mg=11 | potassium_mg=112 | zinc_mg=0.10 | vitC_mg=8.1 | pantothenic_mg=0.221 | vitB6_mg=0.045 | folate_ug=3 | thiamin_mg=0.033 | riboflavin_mg=0.021 | niacin_mg=0.178 | right=1 | source_usda=1 }} Fresh watermelon may be eaten in a variety of ways and is also often used to flavor summer drinks and [[smoothie]]s. A one-cup serving of watermelon will provide around 48 [[Calories]]. Watermelon is an excellent source of [[vitamin C]] and [[vitamin A]], with one serving containing 14.59 mg of vitamin C and 556.32 IU of vitamin A. Watermelon also provides significant amounts of [[vitamin B6]] and [[vitamin B1]], as well as the minerals [[potassium]] and [[magnesium]]. Pink watermelon is also a source of the potent [[carotenoid]] [[antioxidant]], [[lycopene]]. The amino acid [[citrulline]] was first extracted from watermelon and analysed. <ref>{{cite journal | author = Wada, M. | title = Über Citrullin, eine neue Aminosäure im Presssaft der Wassermelone, Citrullus vulgaris Schrad. | journal = Biochem. Zeit. | volume = 224 | issue = | pages = 420 | year = 1930 | doi = }}</ref> Watermelons contain a significant amount of [[citrulline]] and after consumption of several kg an elevated concentration is measured in the [[blood plasma]], this could be mistaken for [[citrullinaemia]] or other [[urea cycle]] disorder.<ref>{{cite journal | author = H. Mandel, N. Levy, S. Izkovitch, S. H. Korman | title = Elevated plasma citrulline and arginine due to consumption of Citrullus vulgaris (watermelon) | journal = Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft | volume = 28 | issue = 4 | pages = 467–472 | year = 2005 | doi = 10.1007/s10545-005-0467-1 }}</ref> Watermelon rinds are also edible, and sometimes used as a [[vegetable]]. In China, they are [[stir frying|stir-fried]], [[stew]]ed, or more often [[pickling|pickled]]. When stir-fried, the de-skinned and de-fruited rind is cooked with [[olive oil]], [[garlic]], [[chili pepper]]s, [[scallions]], [[sugar]] and [[rum]]. Pickled watermelon rind is also commonly consumed in the [[Southern US]], <ref>[http://southernfood.about.com/od/picklesrelishes/r/blbb474.htm Southern U.S. Cuisine: Judy's Pickled Watermelon Rind]</ref> [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]], [[Romania]] and [[Bulgaria]].{{Fact|date=February 2007}} In Balkans, specially Serbia, watermelon [[slatko]] is also popular <ref>[http://www.serbiancafe.com/kuvar/11/1013/Slatko-od-lubenica Watermelon slatko (Slatko od lubenica)] {{Failed verification|date=July 2008}}</ref>. Watermelon [[seed]]s are rich in [[fat]] and [[protein]],{{Fact|date=July 2008}} and are widely eaten as a [[snack]], added to other dishes, or used as an [[oilseed]]. Specialized varieties are grown which have little watery flesh but concentrate their energy into seed production. In China watermelon seeds are one of the most common snack foods, competing with [[sunflower seed]]s, and sold [[roasting|roasted]] and [[seasoning|seasoned]].{{Fact|date=July 2008}} In [[West Africa]], they are pressed for oil, and are popular in [[egusi]] soup and other dishes.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} There can be some confusion between seed-specialized watermelon varieties and the [[colocynth]], a closely-related species with which they share many characteristics, uses, and similar or identical names. Watermelon is 92 percent [[water]] by weight.<ref>[http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/columnnn/nn010806.html Seven wonders of watermelon<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Watermelon is also mildly [[diuretic]]. ==Varieties== [[Image:Citrullus lanatus.jpg|thumb|left|Watermelon with yellow flesh]] There are more than fifty varieties of watermelon ranging in size from less than a pound, to more than two hundred pounds with flesh that is red, orange, yellow, or white.<ref>{{cite web | last =Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds | title =Watermelon Heirloom Seeds | url =http://rareseeds.com/seeds/Watermelon | accessdate =2008-07-15 }}</ref> Several notable varieties are included here. * '''Carolina Cross''': This variety of watermelon produced the current world record watermelon weighing 262 pounds. It has green skin, red flesh and can commonly produce fruit between 65, and 150 pounds. It takes about 90 days from planting to harvest. <ref>{{cite web | last =Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds | title =Carolina Cross Watermelon | url =http://rareseeds.com/seeds/Watermelon/Carolina-Cross | accessdate =2008-07-15 }}</ref> * '''Yellow Crimson Watermelon''': variety of watermelon that has a yellow colored flesh. This particular type of watermelon has been described as "sweeter" and more "honey" flavored than the more popular red flesh watermelon.<ref>{{cite web | last =Anioleka Seeds USA | title =Yellow Crimson Watermelon | url =http://www.vegetableseed.net/heirloom-vegetable-seeds/melon-seeds/watermelon-seeds/yellow.html | accessdate =2007-08-07 }}</ref> * '''Orangeglo''': This variety has a very sweet orange pulp, and is a large oblong fruit weighing 9-14kg (20-30 pounds). It has a light green rind with jagged dark green stripes. It takes about 90-100 days from planting to harvest.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=1108 | title = Orangeglo Watermelon | accessdate = 2007-04-23}}</ref> * The '''Moon and Stars''' variety of watermelon has been around since 1926s.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://rareseeds.com/seeds/Watermelon/Moon-and-Stars | title = Moon and Stars Watermelon Heirloom | accessdate = 2008-07-15}}</ref> The rind is purple/black and has many small yellow circles (stars) and one or two large yellow circles (moon). The melon weighs 9-23kg (20-50 pounds).<ref>{{cite news | url = http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/07/16/HOG4UDNGDB1.DTL | title = Moon & Stars watermelon (Citrullus lanatus):Seed-spittin' melons makin' a comeback | source = San Francisco Chronicle | date = 2005-07-15 | accessdate = 2007-07-06 | last = Evans | first = Lynette}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=266 | title = Moon and Stars Watermelon | accessdate = 2007-04-23}}</ref> * '''Cream of Saskatchewan''': This variety consists of small round fruits, around 25cm (10 inches) in diameter. It has a quite thin, light green with dark green striped rind, with sweet white flesh and black seeds. It can grow well in cool climates. It was originally brought to [[Saskatchewan]], [[Canada]] by [[Russian Canadians|Russian immigrants]]. These melons take 80-85 days from planting to harvest.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=778 | title = Cream of Saskatchewan Watermelon | accessdate = 2007-04-23}}</ref> * '''Melitopolski''': This variety has small round fruits roughly 28-30cm (11-12 inches) in diameter. It is an early ripening variety that originated from the [[Volga River]] region of Russia, an area known for cultivation of watermelons. The Melitopolski watermelons are seen piled high by vendors in Moscow in summer. This variety takes around 95 days from planting to harvest.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.seedsavers.org/prodinfo.asp?number=267 | title = Melitopolski Watermelon | accessdate = 2007-04-23}}</ref> * '''Dansuke Watermelon''': This variety has round fruit up to 25lbs. The rind is black with no stripes or spots. It is only grown 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 (6300 USD), making the most expensive watermelon ever sold. The average selling price is generally around 25 000 yen. <ref>{{cite news | url = http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJBRT0pnOdQVMUzzkKC_cGHo7IdQD914F62O0 | title = Black Japanese watermelon sold at record price | accessdate = 2008-06-10}}</ref> ==Cultural uses and references== {{Refimprove|section|date=December 2007}} [[Image:Kustodiev Merchants Wife.jpg|thumb|300px|The plentiful watermelon on the table in [[Boris Kustodiev]]'s famous ''Merchant's Wife'' represent a care-free, happy existence far from the reality of 1918 Russia when it was painted.]] Watermelons are used in many parts of the world as symbols and during various celebrations. * Art related to the [[Mexico|Mexican]] holiday [[Day of the Dead|Dia de los Muertos]] commonly depicts watermelons being eaten by the dead or shown in close conjunction with the dead. This theme appears regularly on [[ceramic]]s and in other art from the holiday. Watermelons also appear as a subject in Mexican [[still life]] art. * In [[Vietnam]] watermelon is used as part of the Vietnamese New Year's holiday, [[Tết]], because it is considered a lucky colour. The seeds are also consumed during the holiday as a [[Snack food|snack]]. * In the 19th and early 20th centuries, [[African American]]s often were depicted in [[racism|racist]] [[caricature]]s as being inordinately fond of watermelon. * The same depiction of the African American people's fondness of watermelon is used in some eastern states in [[Mexico]]. However, it's not considered racist due to the great African heritage of the people from those areas. * The fruit is extremely popular in the [[southern United States]] and has also led to [[self-parody]] in the annual watermelon seed-spitting contests of Georgia's [[Redneck Games]]. * Country music singer [[Tracy Byrd (musician)|Tracy Byrd]] released a single called "Watermelon Crawl", a song about a dance at a fictional watermelon festival. * The [[Oklahoma]] State Senate passed a bill on [[17 April]], [[2007]] declaring watermelon as the official state [[vegetable]], with some controversy as the watermelon is considered by many to be a fruit.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oklahoma Declares Watermelon Its State Vegetable|url=http://cbs4denver.com/watercooler/watercooler_story_108064706.html|date=2007-04-18|accessdate=2007-07-20|source=CBS4denver}}</ref> * A carved watermelon is worn as a hat by fans of the [[Canadian Football League|CFL's]] [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]] in imitation of the players' helmets as a symbol of their 'Rider Pride' due the team's official colors of green, white, black, and silver. * [[R. Lee Ermey]] often uses watermelons as targets during his weapons demonstrations on his television show [[Mail Call]]. * Country music singer [[Tom T. Hall]] had a number one hit in 1973 entitled "Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine." *In political usage particularly in Australia, the term 'watermelon' is often a label applied to [[Eco-socialism|environmental political groups]] implying that they're "[[enviromentalism|green]] on the outside but [[Marxism|red]] on the inside". * The [[Citrulline]] which exists in watermelon (especially in the rind) is thought to relax blood vessels, much like the erectile dysfunction drug, [[Viagra]], and may even increase [[libido]].<ref>http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630165707.htm</ref> ==See also== {{wikispecies|Citrullus vulgaris}} {{commons|Watermelon}} {{Wiktionary}} * [[List of fruits]] * [[Vampire pumpkins and watermelons]] * [[Watermelon stomach]] * [[Leo Gallagher|Gallagher]], a [[prop comic]] whose most famous bit involves smashing watermelons == Notes == {{reflist|2}} ==References== * United States Watermelon Speed Eating and Seed Spitting Championships held during Pardeeville Watermelon Festival in Chandler Park, Pardeeville, WI, USA, first Saturday after Labor Day. -M * Blomberg, Marina ([[June 10]], [[2004]]). [http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040610/MAGAZINE03/106100003&SearchID=73214462703808 "In Season: Savory Summer Fruits."] ''The Gainesville Sun''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. * [http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/vegetabletravelers/watermelon.html "An African Native of World Popularity."] ''Texas A&M University Aggie Horticulture website''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. * Blomberg, Marina ([[June 10]], [[2004]]). [http://www.gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040610/MAGAZINE03/106100003&SearchID=73214462703808 "In Season: Savory Summer Fruits."] ''The Gainesville Sun''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. * [http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wmelon/wmbreeders/andrus.html "Charles Fredric Andrus: Watermelon Breeder."] ''Cucurbit Breeding Horticultural Science''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. * [http://agsyst.wsu.edu/Watermelon.html "Crop Production: Icebox Watermelons."] ''Washington State University Vancouver Research and Extension Unit website''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. * Hamish, Robertson. [http://www.museums.org.za/bio/plants/cucurbitaceae/citrullus_lanatus.htm "Citrullus lanatus (Watermelon, Tsamma)."] ''Museums Online South Africa''. Retrieved Mar. 15, 2005. * Motes, J.E.; Damicone, John; Roberts, Warren; Duthie, Jim; Edelson, Jonathan. [http://pearl.agcomm.okstate.edu/hort/vegetables/f6236.htm "Watermelon Production."] ''Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. * Parsons, Jerry, Ph.D. ([[June 5]], [[2002]]). [http://www.plantanswers.com/garden_column/june02/june5.htm "Gardening Column: Watermelons."] ''Texas Cooperative Extension of the Texas A&M University System''. Jul. 17, 2005. * [http://www.iskratv.com/shorts/clips/cfC/uks010_043.html "Redneck Olympics."] ''ISKRA television''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. * Shosteck, Robert (1974). ''Flowers and Plants: An International Lexicon with Biographical Notes''. Quadrangle/The New York Times Book Co.: New York. *[http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=31 "Watermelon."] ''The George Mateljan Foundation for The World's Healthiest Foods''. Retrieved Jul. 28, 2005. *[http://www.sundiacorp.com/Watermelon-Fact.php "Watermelon Production and Consumption Demographics."] * [http://www.watermelon.org/index.asp?a=dsp&htype=funn&pid=35 "Watermelon History."] ''National Watermelon Promotion Board website''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. * Wolford, Ron and Banks, Drusilla. [http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/watermelon1.html "Watch Your Garden Grow: Watermelon."] ''University of Illinois Extension''. Retrieved Jul. 17, 2005. ==External links== * [http://www.fao.org/nr/water/cropinfo_watermelon.html FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) site about watermelons] * [http://www.healthrecipes.com/watermelons.htm Watermelon Nutrition Facts] * [http://watermelons.andihit.net Info-Site about watermelons] [[Category:Melons]] [[Category:Plants and pollinators]] [[Category:Cucurbitaceae]] [[ar:بطيخ أحمر]] [[gn:Sándia]] [[az:Qarpız]] [[bn:তরমুজ]] [[zh-min-nan:Si-koe]] [[bs:Lubenica]] [[bg:Диня]] [[ca:Síndria]] [[da:Vandmelon]] [[pdc:Wassmeloon]] [[de:Wassermelone]] [[dv:ކަރާ]] [[et:Arbuus]] [[el:Καρπούζι]] [[es:Citrullus lanatus]] [[eo:Akvomelono]] [[fa:هندوانه]] [[fr:Pastèque]] [[ko:수박]] [[hi:तरबूज]] [[hsb:Wódna melona]] [[hr:Lubenica]] [[id:Semangka]] [[it:Citrullus lanatus]] [[he:אבטיח]] [[ka:საზამთრო]] [[kk:Қарбыз]] [[ht:Melon dlo]] [[la:Citrullus lanatus]] [[lt:Tikrasis arbūzas]] [[hu:Görögdinnye]] [[ml:തണ്ണീര്‍ മത്തന്‍]] [[mr:टरबूज]] [[ms:Pokok Tembikai]] [[nl:Watermeloen]] [[ja:スイカ]] [[no:Vannmelon]] [[pl:Kawon]] [[pt:Melancia]] [[ru:Арбуз обыкновенный]] [[se:Čáhcemelovdna]] [[scn:Muluni d'acqua]] [[simple:Watermelon]] [[sl:Lubenica]] [[sr:Лубеница]] [[sh:Lubenica]] [[fi:Vesimeloni]] [[sv:Vattenmelon]] [[te:పుచ్చ]] [[vi:Dưa hấu]] [[to:Meleni]] [[chr:ᎬᎩᏍᏗ]] [[tr:Karpuz]] [[uk:Кавун]] [[yi:מעלאנע]] [[zh:西瓜]]