# Watermelon (*Citrullus lanatus*)

Watermelons are big, juicy fruits that are perfect for hot summer days! They are sweet and refreshing, and they have a green rind with bright red or pink flesh inside.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Gardens and farms
- **Also known as:** Melon, Watermelon Fruit

![Watermelon](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Watermelon-garden.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Kumon, CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Watermelon-garden.jpg)

## Appearance

The Watermelon plant is a sprawling vine with large, deeply lobed green leaves. Its small, yellow, cup-shaped flowers appear singly. The iconic fruit is large and round to oblong, often with a striped or mottled green rind and vibrant red or pink flesh.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Cucurbitales
- **Family:** Cucurbitaceae
- **Genus:** Citrullus

## Interesting facts

- A square watermelon exists, grown in boxes for easier stacking and shipping!
- Ancient Egyptians placed watermelons in pharaohs' tombs to nourish them in the afterlife!
- The world's heaviest watermelon weighed over 350 pounds, like a small car tire!
- Watermelon seeds are edible and can be roasted for a tasty, nutritious snack!

## Special abilities

- **Sun Seeker Vines:** Watermelon has long vines that spread, allowing leaves to capture ample sunlight for robust growth.
- **Sweet Signal:** Watermelon's sweet, juicy flesh attracts animals, helping disperse its seeds far and wide.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 20-60 cm
- **Spread:** 150-600 cm
- **Flower Size:** 2-4 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Helps transfer pollen between watermelon flowers for fruit development.
- **Eats:** [Human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — Cultivates and consumes the sweet, refreshing fruit.
- **Eats:** [Wild Boar](https://www.snappit.app/explore/wild-boar) (*Sus scrofa*) — Forages on and consumes fallen or accessible watermelon fruits.
- **Eaten by:** [Spotted Cucumber Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-cucumber-beetle) (*Diabrotica undecimpunctata*) — Larvae and adults feed on watermelon roots and leaves.

## Traits

- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
- [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always ask an adult before eating a watermelon, and be careful with the seeds!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Watermelon?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Watermelon?

20-60 cm

### How wide does Watermelon spread?

150-600 cm

### How big are the flowers on Watermelon?

2-4 cm

### When does Watermelon bloom?

Summer

### Is Watermelon edible?

Yes

### Is Watermelon toxic?

None

### What is Watermelon's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Old Fessenden Academy Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/old-fessenden-academy-historic-district) — Florida, US · Campus

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Watermelon: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/watermelon)