''Citrullus ecirrhosus'', commonly known as Namib tsamma, is a species of

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselv ...

in the gourd family,

Cucurbitaceae The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are: *''Cucurbita'' – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds *''Lagena ...

, and a relative of the widely consumed

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...

(''Citrullus lanatus''). It can be found in both

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, in particular the

Namib Desert The Namib ( ; pt, Namibe) is a coastal desert in Southern Africa. The name is of Khoekhoegowab origin and means "vast place". According to the broadest definition, the Namib stretches for more than along the Atlantic coasts of Angola, Namib ...

. It is the sister species to the bitter melon, ''

Citrullus amarus The citron melon (''Citrullus caffer''), also called ''Citrullus lanatus'' var. ''citroides'' and ''Citrullus amarus'', fodder melon, preserving melon, red-seeded citron, jam melon, stock melon, Kalahari melon or tsamma melon, is a relative of t ...

'' with which it shares hard, white and bitter flesh. The vines can crawl for up to two meters, and it has yellow flowers. As a desert plant, it is a hardy species, surviving with little water and strong sunlight. The leaves form annual stems which die back each year. The plant relies on water deep in the ground and morning fogs. It is an important source of water for numerous desert fauna. The bitter-tasting fruit it produces are known as tsamma melons. Experiments done by Simmons, Jarret, Cantrell, and Amnon in 2019 introduced the hybridization of ''Citrullus ecirrhosus'' and ''Citrullus lanatus'' developed a cultivated watermelon capable of resistance to pests such as whiteflies (''Bemisia tabaci'').Simmons, A. M., Jarret, R. L., Cantrell, C. L., & Amnon, L. (2019, October). Citrullus ecirrhosus: Wild Source of Resistance Against Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) for Cultivated Watermelon. The hybrid developed whitefly resistance while still retaining traits of

(''Citrullus lanatus''). While the hybrid did not offer total resistance, it was better protected than regular grown watermelons. Tsamma-Melone in der Namibwüste

References

External links

Bihrmann's caudiciforms
Cucurbitoideae Melons Flora of Namibia Flora of South Africa Desert fruits Drought-tolerant plants Taxa named by Alfred Cogniaux {{Cucurbitales-stub