Watermelon

Watermelon

Refreshing, on a hot day.

The scientific name for watermelons is citrullas lanatus, and they grow on a vine-like flowering plant from the family Cucurbitaceae, which is the family of squashes, melons and gourds.
Watermelons are believed to be native to southern and tropical Africa, where it grows in the wild.
Watermelons have a smooth outer casing that can be green, yellow, black or white in colour, often with dark stripes, and they normally have a juicy red interior, although they can also be white or yellow inside.
Watermelons were eaten in Ancient Egypt, and watermelon seeds have been found in Pharaoh tombs.
One beehive is normally placed for every 4000 square metres (1 acre) of watermelon plants, so that they can be effectively pollinated.

Watermelons take from 80-95 days to mature, and be ready for harvest, depending on the variety.
China produced almost 70 million tonnes (77 million tons) of watermelons in 2011, which was over 66% of the world’s production.
Watermelons contain significant amounts of Vitamin A and C, and water makes up approximately 91% of a watermelon’s weight, and 6% is sugar.
Some Japanese watermelon farmers have been known to grow watermelons in glass cubes, which produces cubic watermelons, that enables the watermelons to be stacked more easily.
The seeds and rind of the watermelon are nutritious and edible, and even though it is common for people to discard the rinds and just eat the flesh, they can be made into pickles, jams, candy, stir-fried, or cooked in curries or other dishes, or eaten raw, and the juice of the watermelon can be made into wine.