Citron melon

For green citron melons, see Cantaloupe. For the citrus fruit, see Citron. For other uses of "citron", see Citron (disambiguation).

Citron melon
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Citrullus
Species:
C. amarus
Binomial name
Citrullus amarus
Synonyms[1]
  • Citrullus colocynthis var. capensis Alef.
  • Citrullus lanatus f. amarus (Schrad.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes
  • Citrullus lanatus var. capensis (Alef.) Fursa
  • Citrullus afer Schrad.
  • Citrullus caffer Schrad.
  • Citrullus lanatus var. afer (Schrad.) Mansf.
  • Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (L.H.Bailey) Mansf.
  • Citrullus vulgaris var. citroides L.H.Bailey

The citron melon (Citrullus amarus), also called fodder melon,[2] preserving melon,[2] red-seeded citron,[3] jam melon,[3] stock melon,[2] Kalahari melon[4] or tsamma melon,[2] is a relative of the watermelon. It is from the family Cucurbitaceae which consists of various squashes, melons, and gourds. Native to arid landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa, it has been a wild source of nutrition and hydration for humans for an extraordinarily long time. Its fruit has a hard white flesh, rendering it less likely to be eaten raw in the modern era; more often it is pickled or used to make fruit preserves, and is used for cattle feed.[5] It is especially useful for fruit preserves, because it has a high pectin content.[6]

  1. ^ "Citrullus amarus Schrad. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Citrullus amarus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b Nesom, G.L. (2011), "Toward consistency of taxonomic rank in wild/domesticated Cucurbitaceae" (PDF), Phytoneuron, 2011–13: 1–33, archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2015, retrieved 29 March 2015
  4. ^ Vermaak, I (2011). "African seed oils of commercial importance – Cosmetic applications". South African Journal of Botany. 77 (4): 920–933. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2011.07.003.
  5. ^ Laghetti, G.; Hammer, K. (2007). "The Corsican citron melon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. et Nakai subsp. lanatus var. citroides (Bailey) Mansf. ex Greb.) a traditional and neglected crop". Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution. 54 (4): 913–916. doi:10.1007/s10722-007-9220-y. S2CID 37535961.
  6. ^ "Citron Melon". www.clovegarden.com. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 13 August 2024.