(Citrullus lanatus)
The watermelon is indigenous to South Central Africa. Aptly named for its’ 95% water content the “water” melon has been used as both a source of nourishment and water supply in times of extreme desert drought. It was not until Cortés arrived in Mexico, c.1520 that this interesting cultivar made its’ debut on North American soil. It was from here that the seed was rapidly traded northward, reaching many mid-western Native peoples before the arrival of European explorers. Perhaps this was the variety of melon Champlain observed Native peoples cultivating?