Citron melon

Citron melon
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Citrullus
Species:
C. caffer
Binomial name
Citrullus caffer
Synonyms
  • Citrullus colocynthoides Pangalo
  • Citrullus colocynthoides var. citroides (L.H. Bailey) Millan
  • Citrullus lanatus var. caffer (Schrad.) Mansf.
  • Citrullus lanatus var. caffrorum (Alef.) Fosberg
  • Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (L. H. Bailey) Mansf.
  • Citrullus vulgaris var. caffrorum Alef.
  • Citrullus vulgaris var. citroides L. H. Bailey

The citron melon (Citrullus caffer), also called Citrullus lanatus var. citroides and Citrullus amarus, fodder melon, preserving melon, red-seeded citron, jam melon, stock melon, Kalahari melon or tsamma melon, 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. It is especially useful for fruit preserves, because it has a high pectin content.

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