This study uncovers the north-eastern African origins of the dessert watermelon and concludes that it was is domesticated there over 4000 years ago.
Tag - Cucurbitaceae
AJ Cann
Bloody royal French gourd debunked
One of the most unusual plant-based items that has come to my notice recently is this rather ‘quirky’ item that sheds a forensic botany light on an episode of ‘regicide à la française’ when King Louis XVI had an...
Nigel Chaffey
Medieval iconography of watermelons
Looking at medieval drawings, Paris et al. discover that citron watermelons were more common in Mediterranean Europe in the past than they are presently.
botanyone
The Disappearing Watermelons of Europe
How do you see a watermelon that isn’t there? Paris, Daunay and Janick continue their study of the changing crops of Mediterranean Europe with a study of Medieval iconography of watermelons in Mediterranean Europe...
Alun Salt
Medieval emergence of sweet melons
Sweet melons, Cucumis melo, are highly prized today; however, the lack of enthusiasm for melons in Mediterranean antiquity indicates that they did not possess the sugary sweetness of modern melons. Paris et al., through...
