Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Citrullus lanatus - Watermelon

Edible Portion: Fruit, Seeds, Leaves, Vegetable

An annual climber with deeply divided leaves and tendrils along the vine. It trails over the ground and has hairy, angular stems. The leaves are on long leaf stalks. The leaves are deeply divided along their length. These lobe are rounded and can themselves be divided. The leaves are 5-20 cm long by 2-12 cm across. The tendrils are divided. The plant has separate male and female flowers on the same plant. The flowers are pale yellow and smaller than pumpkins. The flowers occur in the axils of leaves. The male flowers appear first. Fruit are large and round or oval. They can be 60 cm long. Fruit have a hard smooth skin. Several fruit colours and shapes occur. Often they have a dark green mottle. The fruit has reddish juicy flesh and black or red seeds. The seeds are oval shaped and smooth. The seed size and shape vary considerably.