The watermelon
๐ In short
The watermelon is a huge, sweet, refreshing summer fruit. Its rind is green, striped or plain, and its flesh is red, juicy and full of black seeds. It's mostly water!
๐คฉ Did you know?
- A watermelon is about 93% water.
- Watermelon vines can be 12 meters long.
- Some watermelons weigh more than 100 kilograms!
- Watermelon seeds can be roasted and eaten.
๐ Find out more
๐ A fruit full of water
More than 90% of a watermelon is water, so it quenches thirst and cools the body on hot summer days. Long ago people carried it in the desert instead of water.
๐ It grows on the ground
Watermelons grow on a long creeping vine that spreads over the ground, with big leaves, yellow flowers and curly tendrils, and the big fruits grow on the ground.
๐ก How do you tell a ripe watermelon?
People tap a watermelon with their fingers: if it sounds deep and hollow, it's usually ripe. And a yellow patch appears on the side that touched the ground.
๐ฏ It comes from Africa
The watermelon comes from Africa; the ancient Egyptians grew it and painted it on the walls of their tombs. Then it spread all over the world.
๐ธ More pictures
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 What is a watermelon mostly made of?
2 Which continent does the watermelon come from?
3 A watermelon is about ?? % water.
4 Which picture shows โThe watermelonโ?
๐ณ Discover more
๐ท Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons
- Fred Hsu (Wikipedia:User:Fred Hsu on en.wikipedia) ยท CC BY-SA 3.0
- Prathyush Thomas ยท GFDL 1.2
- Pollinator at English Wikipedia ยท CC BY-SA 3.0
- Prathyush Thomas ยท GFDL 1.2
