The Melon Family, Cucurbitaceae, is a plant family commonly known as melons, gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like cucumbers, squashes (including pumpkins), luffas, melons (including watermelons).
Get ready to have your fruit-loving minds blown: Watermelons are berries. And so are cucumbers, cantaloupes, squash and pumpkins. Scientifically called pepos, these fruits fall into a specific category of berry—one with a tough rind, multiple flat seeds and pulpy flesh.
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus ), cucumber (Cucumis sativus ), and melon (Cucumis melo ) are major crop species in the cucurbit or vine-crop family (the Cucurbitaceae), an important family of flowering plants (the angiosperms). The family also includes squash, pumpkin, and gourds.
What makes something a melon?
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word “melon” can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a “pepo”.
What family is watermelon in?
watermelon, (Citrullus lanatus), succulent fruit and vinelike plant of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to tropical Africa and cultivated around the world. The fruit contains vitamin A and some vitamin C and is usually eaten raw.
Why is a strawberry not a berry?
Surprisingly, eggplants, tomatoes and avocados are botanically classified as berries. And the popular strawberry is not a berry at all. Botanists call the strawberry a “false fruit,” a pseudocarp. A strawberry is actually a multiple fruit which consists of many tiny individual fruits embedded in a fleshy receptacle.
Can you be allergic to melon?
Symptoms of a cantaloupe allergy
They can be triggered by the presence of a very small amount of cantaloupe or other melons. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: itchy mouth. tingling sensation in your mouth.
What is the cousin of a watermelon?
cucumbers
Honeydew melon, cantaloupe, and watermelon are favorite summer fruit. Some of their vegetable cousins also ripen in summer: cucumbers, zucchini, and yellow squash.
What is the difference between melon and watermelon?
The main difference between watermelons and melons is seeds – watermelon seeds are spread throughout the fruit, while melons have a central seed cavity. In Australia, melons and watermelons are grown mainly in warmer, northern areas, as they don’t tolerate frost.
What foods are in the melon family?
The Melon Family, Cucurbitaceae, is a plant family commonly known as melons, gourds or cucurbits and includes crops like cucumbers, squashes (including pumpkins), luffas, melons (including watermelons).
Can dogs have melon?
Yes, the tasty melon is safe for pups to eat in moderation and can be a healthy alternative to traditional treats, especially if your dog is overweight.
Is pineapple a melon?
Ananas melons, botanically classified as Cucumis melo, are sweet fruits belonging to the reticulatus group, which encompasses melons with rinds covered in a rough netting. Ananas in French and Italian translates to mean “pineapple,” and the melon reived its tropical name from its sweet, floral taste and aroma.
What does melon mean in slang?
A woman’s breasts
Melon definition
Frequency: (vulgar slang) A woman’s breasts. noun. 3. A fatty structure in the forehead of cetaceans, especially the toothed whales, thought to be used in the production of high-frequency sounds.
According to watermelon.org, like the pepper, tomato, and pumpkin, watermelon is a fruit, botanically. It is the fruit of a plant originally from a vine of southern Africa. Watermelon is a member of the cucurbitaceae plant family of gourds (classified as Citrullus lantus), related to the cucumber, squash and pumpkin.
Is watermelon a melon or a berry?
The elongated tough-skinned fruits of the family Cucurbitaceae, including watermelons, cucumbers, and gourds, are a type of berry referred to as pepos.
Can dogs eat watermelon?
The answer is yes, with a couple of precautions. First, seeds could cause an intestinal blockage, so make sure you remove them. It’s also a good idea to remove the rind because it can cause gastrointestinal upset.
Is banana good for dogs?
Yes, dogs can eat bananas. In moderation, bananas are a great low-calorie treat for dogs. They’re high in potassium, vitamins, biotin, fiber, and copper. They are low in cholesterol and sodium, but because of their high sugar content, bananas should be given as a treat, not part of your dog’s main diet.
Is corn a fruit?
This is why several foods people think of as vegetables are actually fruits, like tomatoes and avocados. So, corn is actually a vegetable, a whole grain, and a fruit. But no matter what form it comes in or what category it falls into, corn is good for you and can be part of a healthy diet.
Is coffee a berry?
Despite their name, they are actually seeds. Coffee grows on shrubs and bushes, and those shrubs produce small red fruits called coffee cherries. The coffee beans are the seeds of those little red fruits. Coffee is not a vegetable.
What is the most common fruit allergy?
A great variety of different fruits have been reported as causing allergic reactions, however, the most prevalent and best described are reactions to apple, peach and kiwi fruit.
Why does my throat hurt after eating melon?
Oral allergy syndrome causes a watermelon allergy. It happens when you have a pollen allergy that cross-reacts with specific proteins in some fruits and vegetables, including watermelon. Symptoms are immediate and localized and include itching and tingling in the mouth and throat.
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