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Botanical Name |
Citrullus lanatus |
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Other names |
Tsamma, wild watermelon; karkoer or tsamma (Afrikaans); makataan (Tswana); t'samma (Khoi) |
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Cucurbitaceae |
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Dimensions |
A creeping annual herb with prostrate stems |
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Description of Stem |
Multiple greenish grey, hairy stems of up to 3m in length; forked tendrils |
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Description of Leaves |
Leaves occur on sturdy stalks, are conspicuously and ornately lobed around three prominent veins emanating from the leaf-base; hairy, rough to the touch on both surfaces |
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Description of flowers |
Axillary flowers, light yellow, five-lobed corolla, greenish underneath; monoecious (male and female flowers on the same plant) |
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Description of seed/fruit |
Variable, usually spherical fruit of 20cm in diameter ripen in winter; pale yellow-green (in the Kalahari form), sometimes light green with longitudinal dark green markings on the surface (in the cultivated, makataan form); the flesh or fruit pulp contains multiple seeds |
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Description of roots |
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Variation |
Variable over the wide areas of its appearance, increased by cultivation and selection |
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Propagation and Cultivation |
Grown from seed in vegetable production |
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Tolerances |
Hardy |
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Uses |
Edible fruit, sought after in dry areas for potable liquid by humans and animals; cultivars improved for human use have been developed in cultivation; seeds are dried, roasted, winnowed and ground to store as a sought after and nutritious meal; jam is made from some forms of the cultivated varieties; in Africa the seed is used to make a skin cream |
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Ecological rarity |
Common |
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Pests and Diseases |
Humans may be able to survive for several weeks on tsamma alone in a desert environment |
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Other |
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Location |
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Distribution |
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Country |
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