Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Citrullus amarus
Common name
Bitter melon, Wild melon, Camel melon, Pie melon
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Where found
Grassy areas, disturbed sites, and along streams. ACT and Albury. Occasionally elsewhere.
Notes
Introduced annual herb or climber, prostrate or to 3 m tall. Stems hairy to rough. Leaves alternating along the stems, 2-20 cm long, 25-150 mm wide, 3-7 lobed, upper surface scarcely rough or becoming hairless, lower surface hairy with short hairs and rough, margins wavy, bases with cordate lobes, tips notched or with fine points. Male and female flowers on the same plant. Flowers yellow, with 5 petals each 10-15 mm long. Fruit green, mottled or striped with patches of paler green, or yellowish.
Was Citrullus lanatus.
Watermelon is a cultivated variant, but is not widely naturalised.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Citrullus~amarus (accessed 26 April 2021)
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