Kalinga

Watermelon, tarbuj in Hindi, is a sprawling summer vine whose sweet, red fruit is sold from roadside heaps across India in the hot months. Genetic work points to a wild ancestor from north-east Africa, and watermelons appear in Egyptian tomb paintings about four thousand years old. In India it is often grown on riverbeds and sandy fields after the monsoon. Its seeds, magaz, are roasted and used in sweets.

Botanical name

Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai

Family

Cucurbitaceae

Tamil

Kalinga

Hindi

Tarbuj

Parts used

Ripe flesh, Seeds

Habit

Watermelon, a summer dessert vine

Last updated

2026-10-27

How to recognise Kalinga

It is a trailing annual vine with hairy stems and branched tendrils.

The leaves are deeply cut into three to five lobes, each lobe further divided.

Pale yellow flowers grow singly, male and female on the same plant.

The fruit is large, round or oval, with smooth green skin that is plain or striped.

The flesh is red, pink, yellow or white, juicy and sweet, with black, brown or white seeds.

Traditional use of Kalinga

Kitchen

The fruit is eaten fresh, made into juice with mint, and sold in slices at roadside stalls in summer.

Indian food practice

Kitchen

Peeled seeds, magaz, are part of char magaz, a mix used in sweets and thandai.

North Indian food practice

Farming

Farmers plant it on sandy riverbeds after the water falls, as the soil there holds moisture.

Indian farm practice

Modern notes on Kalinga

The fruit is over ninety per cent water and contains lycopene, the red pigment also in tomatoes.

It contains citrulline, an amino acid that was first found in watermelon and named after it.

Seedless watermelons are grown from crosses between plants with different chromosome numbers.

Kalinga safety

Eat cut watermelon soon or keep it cold, because cut melon can grow bacteria quickly. Wash the rind before cutting so the knife does not carry dirt into the flesh.

Ecology and sourcing

Its wild relatives grow in dry parts of Africa.

Bees pollinate the flowers, and fruit set depends on them.

It needs heat and full sun.

Related plants

Also in Cucurbitaceae

Questions about Kalinga

Where did watermelon come from?

North-east Africa.

What is magaz?

Peeled melon seeds used in sweets.

How do I pick a ripe one?

Look for a creamy yellow ground spot and a hollow sound when tapped.

Are seedless watermelons modified?

They come from conventional crossing, not genetic engineering.

What gives Kalinga the red colour?

Lycopene.

Sources

• Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
• Wikidata item Q17507129 (Citrullus lanatus)

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.