Watermelon, the
Citrullus vulgaris. The plant is a prostrate, long-running, hairy vine with large leaves. The fruit is spherical or oblong, with thick, spotted green rinds; cold, watery, pink or white flesh; and black or brown seeds. It is a native of southern Africa and is now cultivated in every part of the United States and in southern France, India, China, Japan, the Eastern Peninsula, and Egypt for its juice, which is cool and refreshing, and as a dessert. Seventy percent of the crop in the United States comes from Georgia, Florida, Texas, and California. It has appeared on paintings in Egyptian tombs and in descriptions in the Old Testament. The plant of the watermelon usually requires a warm climate, but there are short seasoned varieties, such as muskmelons, which can be grown as far north as Ontario. Pickled or preserved rinds are the only by-products of the fruit.
