Knowledge expansion:
Watermelon is an annual vine of Cucurbitaceae, which is generally spherical or oval with dark green, light green or dark green stripes or markings. Most melon seeds are black, oval and pointed.
Stems and branches are stout and fawn-colored; Leaves are like paper, triangular and oval, with wavy edges. The flowering and fruiting period is May-June. Watermelon was introduced into China from the Western Regions in the 9th century, hence its name.
Watermelon originated in the arid desert of tropical Africa, mainly planted in tropical areas, and has been cultivated in southern Xinjiang and Central Asia for more than 1000 years.
Watermelon likes warm and dry climate, which is not cold-resistant, drought-resistant, moisture-resistant and light-resistant, and needs a lot of fertilizer. Sandy soil with loose soil, deep soil layer and good drainage is the best. Propagation methods include grafting propagation and seed propagation, mainly through seed propagation, with the help of external force or artificial cultivation to grow new watermelon seedlings.
According to Daily Materia Medica, watermelon is rich in vitamins, which can balance blood pressure and regulate heart function. Watermelon is known as the king of summer melons and fruits. "Eat watermelon in summer, no need to catch medicine." This folk proverb embodies the medicinal value of watermelon. According to historical records, watermelon was listed as the first fruit of the ancestral temple in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and people called it "Gonggua".
In the Qing Dynasty, there was a melon garden in Nanyuan. Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Jiajing loved watermelons, so the emperor specially opened a small melon garden for him. Wang Zhen said that watermelon was "delicious, sweet and refreshing" in Agricultural Books, which expressed the value of watermelon in cooling, quenching thirst and moistening lung.
China is the largest watermelon producing area in the world, but there are different opinions about the origin of watermelon. There is a saying that watermelon did not come from China, but spread from Africa to the Western Regions, hence its name. Another statement comes from the legend that Shennong tasted a hundred herbs. It is said that watermelon was discovered by Shennong when he tasted a hundred herbs. Its original name is thin melon, which means melon with much water and thin meat, but it became watermelon after being passed down.