Watermelon

A watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a plant which was first domesticated in Africa. It is a cultivated edible fruit worldwide, there are more than 1000 varieties.

Watermelon
Watermelon
Watermelon cross section
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Citrullus
Species:	C. lanatus
Binomial name
Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai
Watermelon output in 2005
Synonyms
List Anguria citrullus Mill. Citrullus amarus Schrad. Citrullus anguria (Duchesne) H.Hara Citrullus aquosus Schur Citrullus battich Forssk. Citrullus caffer Schrad. Citrullus caffrorum Schrad. Citrullus chodospermus Falc. & Dunal Citrullus citrullus H.Karst. Citrullus citrullus Small Citrullus edulis Spach Citrullus edulis Pangalo nom. illeg. Citrullus mucosospermus (Fursa) Fursa Citrullus pasteca Sageret Citrullus vulgaris Schrad. Colocynthis amarissima Schrad. nom. inval. Colocynthis amarissima Schltdl. Colocynthis citrullus (L.) Kuntze Colocynthis citrullus Fritsch Cucumis amarissimus Schrad. Cucumis citrullus (L.) Ser. Cucumis dissectus Decne. Cucumis edulis Steud. nom. inval. Cucumis laciniosus Eckl. ex Steud. Cucumis laciniosus Eckl. ex Schrad. Cucumis vulgaris (Schrad.) E.H.L.Krause Cucurbita anguria Duchesne Cucurbita caffra Eckl. & Zeyh. Cucurbita citrullus L. Cucurbita gigantea Salisb. Cucurbita pinnatifida Schrank Momordica lanata Thunb.

About 6% of a watermelon is sugar, which makes it very sweet. There are many different types of watermelon. Some have a green rind on the outside and a red-pink flesh on the inside, with brown seeds. Some can have yellow flesh, and some can be seedless. The green rind on the outside is not usually eaten, though it can be used as a vegetable. It can also be stewed or pickled. Most watermelons are oblong or spherical. In Japan, watermelons are grown in different shapes, such as hearts and squares.

Health

Watermelons are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B1 and vitamin B6. They also contain potassium, magnesium, carotenoid antioxidant, and lycopene. The watermelon flesh is healthy to eat.