Type specimens are permanently preserved biological specimens that fix the usage of species names. This method became widespread from 1935 onwards and is now obligatory. We used DNA sequencing of types and more recent collections of wild and cultivated melons to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the genus Citrullus and the correct names for its species. We discovered that the type specime...

There is an increasing tendency for traditional medicine in the world. Many people prefer to take herbal products instead of chemical medicines. However, over consumption of herbal medicines has led to many unpredictable side effects.One of these traditional medicines is Citrullus colocynthis, which is used by diabetic patients as an hypoglycemic agent, but it has been reported to cause gastroi...

The mitochondrial genomes of seed plants are unusually large and vary in size by at least an order of magnitude. Much of this variation occurs within a single family, the Cucurbitaceae, whose genomes range from an estimated 390 to 2,900 kb in size. We sequenced the mitochondrial genomes of Citrullus lanatus (watermelon: 379,236 nt) and Cucurbita pepo (zucchini: 982,833 nt)--the two smallest cha...

The methanolic crude extract prepared from the fruits of Citrullus colocynthis (MCCF), its fractions and two isolated compounds namely Ursolic Acid, (compound1) and Cucurbitacin E 2-0-β-D-glucopyranoside (compound 2) were evaluated for their antibacterial activity. Broth microdilution and agar disc diffusion methods were used for the investigations. The antimicrobial assays showed that the crud...

This study was conducted to determine the Phytophthora rot resistance of 514 accessions of watermelon germplasm, Citrullus lanatus var lanatus. About 46% of the 514 accessions tested were collections from Uzbekistan, Turkey, China, U.S.A., and Ukraine. Phytophthora capsici was inoculated to 45-day-old watermelon seedlings by drenching with 5 ml of sporangial suspension (10(6) sporangia/ml). At ...

The watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai var. lanatus) has high variability for fruit size, shape, rind pattern, and flesh color. This study was designed to measure the qualitative inheritance of rind phenotypes (solid dark green vs. light green). For each of the 2 families, "Mountain Hoosier" × "Minilee" and "Early Arizona" × "Minilee," 6 generations (P(a)S(1), P(b)S(1), F(1)...

Studies on the antibacterial activities of the leaf extract of Citrullus colocynthis (Cucurbitaceae), a medicinal plant used for the treatment of various ailments was carried out using agar disc diffusion technique. The results revealed that the crude acetone extract exhibited antibacterial activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa with zones of inhibition measuring 14.0mm. The chloroform leaf ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Watermelons, Citrullus species (Cucurbitaceae), are native to Africa and have been cultivated since ancient times. The fruit flesh of wild watermelons is watery, but typically hard-textured, pale-coloured and bland or bitter. The familiar sweet dessert watermelons, C. lanatus, featuring non-bitter, tender, well-coloured flesh, have a narrow genetic base, suggesting that they...

In the light of previous findings, the major aim of the present study was to investigate the potential beneficial effects of various Citrullus colocynthis L. seed extracts on such variables as glucose tolerance, body weight gain, pancreas, liver, kidney, testis, epididymal fat and diaphragm muscle weight, as well as serum cholesterol, triglyceride...

The objective of present study was to explore the hepatoprotective and antioxidant profile of Citrullus colocynthis fruits. Hepatoprotective profile of methanolic extract of Citrullus colocynthis fruits (MECCF) was investigated on rats, which were made hepatotoxic using paracetamol. The antioxidant profile of MECCF was evaluated by conducting Catalase, Super oxide Dismutase, Lipid Peroxidation ...