Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) are native to the Kalahari desert of Southern Africa. The first recorded watermelon harvest is found in Egypt, depicted in hieroglyphics on tomb walls dating back as far as 5000 years ago. Watermelons were left as food to nourish the dearly departed in the afterlife.

From Egypt, watermelons spread throughout countries along the Mediterranean Sea by way of merchant ships. They were documented in China in the 10th century, and in the 13th century were found throughout the rest of Europe after being introduced by the Moors. Ultimately, the watermelon crossed the Atlantic ocean and made its way to North America with African slaves. It wasn't until 1615 however that the word watermelon first appeared in the English dictionary.

Nutritionally, the watermelon is fat, sodium and cholesterol free; an excellent source of vitamins A and C; and contributes fibre, iron and potassium to the diet. Watermelons also contain an important phytochemical (plant compound) called lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful anti-oxidant.

Everyone has undoubtedly heard of anti-oxidants before, but you've probably never fully appreciated what they are and what their role is in the human body. To truly understand we'll need to go back to the classroom for a quick lesson in organic chemistry. Humans need oxygen to live (you with me so far?). We breathe in oxygen as O2, or two oxygen molecules atomically bonded together. The biological processes in the body use oxygen for reactions, frequently creating single oxygen molecules as a byproduct. The singlet oxygen is very reactive (has a high electric charge) and therefore must be eliminated by the body before cell damage occurs. The body has antioxidants (meaning anti-oxygen) compounds that look for free oxygen particles to neutralize. Lycopene is an extremely effective oxygen scavenger because it can neutralize several oxygen particles with just one lycopene molecule. Watermelon contains 14-15 milligrams of lycopene per 2-cup serving.

Yeah, yeah. Anti-oxidants. Great. But what about this berry thing? How can a watermelon be a berry?

Here's how. A berry is a simple fleshy fruit that usually has many seeds. Now there are three kinds of true berries: (1) Smooth-skinned berries with entirely edible pericarps, such as blueberries, currants, gooseberries, cranberries, grapes, tomatoes, and dates. (2) Round, leathery rinded berries, such as oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits; they are the citrus fruits, referred to as hesperidia. (3) Elongated, many-seeded berries with a tough rind such as bananas, cucumbers, watermelons, and other members of the gourd family; they are referred to botanically as pepos.

Now what about the seedless varieties. Are they berries? And where in the heck do the seeds for seedless watermelon come from? Back to your seats class for a quick biology lesson in genetics. First, yes they are still technically berries. Seedless watermelons are actually a hybrid form of watermelon called a triploid in which the seeds do not fully develop. If you look closely, you can see empty white pips where seeds normally can be found.

The seeds come from crossing normal diploid watermelon with tetraploid watermelon. Tetraploid watermelon have four sets of chromosomes, diploid watermelon have two sets. The offspring of this cross have three sets of chromosomes. These offspring have seeds, but the seeds produce plants which do not produce viable seeds.

And finally....

Have you ever heard of watermelon snow? This is a unique phenomenon where snow appears pink or red and has a distinctive watermelon scent. It is common to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California in the summer months at altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet, and has baffled hikers and climbers for years. It turns out that the pink snow is caused by an algae called chlamydomonas nivalis which thrives in very cold temperatures. The cells of the algae have a gelatinous sheath that protect them from the strong ultra-violet radiation of the sun at high altitudes, and it is this sheath that produces the pink color and odor! Unfortunately, the similarities end there. This particular algae is toxic and if ingested can cause, shall we say, a laxative effect. Now there are two colors of snow not to eat!