Data expansion:
The English pronunciation of watermelon is /'w? :t？ Mel. I don't know. Watermelon English mnemonic method is disassembled into watermelon, and the English vocabulary of watermelon is matched with watermelon skin, watermelon sauce and watermelon chess.
Watermelon, an annual vine of Cucurbitaceae, 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, is not cold-resistant, drought-resistant and moisture-resistant, likes light and needs a lot of fertilizer.
Sandy soil with loose soil, deep soil layer and good drainage is the best. The propagation methods include grafting propagation and seed propagation. Through seed propagation, new watermelon seedlings will grow with the help of external force or artificial cultivation.
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.