Will the USDA do? (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CILAL)

Watermelon - Citrullus lanatus

Kingdom Plantae -- Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida -- Dicotyledons
Subclass Dilleniidae
Order Violales
Family Cucurbitaceae -- Cucumber family
Genus Citrullus Schrad. -- watermelon P
Species Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsumura & Nakai -- watermelon P
Variety Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsumura & Nakai var. lanatus -- watermelon P

The Cucurbitaceae family is considered vegetables and thus the watermelon is classed as a vegetable.

If you want to learn more about this class of vegetable you could attend "Cucurbitaceae 2006" to be held September 17-21 in Asheville, NC (http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/meetings/ccrbtceae06mtg.html)

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Funnily enough I was writing about this today (@ www.barigoule.net). In botanical terms a watermelon is the fruit of the watermelon plant. In the same vein, squashes and pumpkins are also fruits. On the other hand, in culinary terms the distinction is fuzzier. The USDA considers watermelons vegetables because they are of the same family as pumpkins which it also considers vegetables (as do many cooks). Is there a right answer in the kitchen? No, not really. It mostly depends on the use of the item in question.
-c

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I thought this fell under the same governmental brain fart as the tomato. Congress ordered the USDA to classify that as a vegetable so they could tax its import (more heavily), thus "helping" the American grower. I'd preeeetty much assume the same here.

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Why are squash and cucumbers considered vegetables? Just because they aren't sweet? I believe there's a flaw in the way they were originally classified. I remember back in my university days, I happened to say that a tomato was a fruit and people looked at me like I was a complete idiot. I also lost a round in scattergories because I said an olive was a fruit and everyone laughed and brushed me off. Can't scientists just agree that all things with seeds in it are fruit?

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Can a person dressed as a watermelon march in the NY St. Patrick's day parade? If so the watermelon must be a vegetable.

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"Botanically speaking, a tomato is the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant, i.e. a fruit. However, from a culinary perspective the tomato is typically served as a meal, or part of a main course of a meal, meaning that it would be considered a vegetable.

This argument has led to actual legal implications in the United States. In 1887, U.S. tariff laws which imposed a duty on vegetables but not on fruits caused the tomato's status to become a matter of legal importance. The U.S. Supreme Court settled this controversy in 1893, declaring that the tomato is a vegetable, using the popular definition which classifies vegetable by use, that they are generally served with dinner and not dessert. The case is known as Nix v. Hedden.

The USDA also considers a tomato a vegetable.

It should be noted that strictly speaking the holding of the case applies only to the interpretation of the Tariff Act of March 3, 1883 and not much else. The court does not purport to reclassify tomato for botanical or for any other purpose other than paying a tax under a tariff act."

The tomato is a fruit. The watermelon is a fruit. Screw the USDA.

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I have no idea if this is correct, but it was interesting enough to me to stay with me for a few years. I clearly recall an old L. M. Boyd column that stated that a watermelon is, botanically speaking, a berry.

r

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A really, really large berry.

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fruit fruit fruit. it has seeds, so it is a fruit. period.

you can call it whatever you want for whatever purpose you want, but the part of a flowering plant that contains the seeds is the fruit. In Fruit the seeds are covered in or surrounded by sweet stuff [usually] so animals will eat it and the seeds and spread the seeds, which children of all ages do for watermelon by spitting said seeds around at picnics!

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as far as my biology and life science classes have taught me, whether something is a fruit or not is based on the PART of the plant, and not the TYPE. Anyway, it carries seeds, so just call it a fruit, just like tomatoes, peppers, and apples.

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Anything with the seeds inside is scientifically considered a fruit. Anything at all despite wether or not it may be edible, poisonous, spiky or glow in the dark, if the seeds are inside, the thing around the seeds is a fruit.

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The part of a watermelon plant that is eaten is a fruit. G. H. M. Lawrence, "Taxonomy of Vascular Plants" defined "fruit" as the "ripened ovary (pistil), ... the seed-bearing part." A fruit is the bud, flower, seed containting organ, or the seed. A vegetable is the stem, leaf, or root. Tomatoes, beans, corn, artichoke, peanuts are fruit. Lettuce, celery, and carrots are vegetables. Apples are weird because what is eaten is a swollen part of the stem. The core with the seeds is the fruit.

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Who CARES if it is a fruit or a vegetable - just pass the salt !

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Does anybody really care?

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Okay, this is just something I heard/saw/read or something, but it said that if the item in question ripens after being picked (bananas, tomatoes, etc) it is a fruit. If it simply rots after being picked, it's a vegetable. I'm not sure if it's right or not, but thought I would throw it out there.

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According to my dictionary: Fruit...The fertile, often spore-bearing structure of a plant that does NOT bear seeds. Makes all that stuff vegetables. Have a nice day.

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I never even knew cukes, squash, and pupkins were technically fruits until this article...I've never even heard anyone suggest that! As far as watermelons go...does it matter? A watermelon by any other name would taste as sweet. :) But yes, our watermelons are very exceptionally sweet and delicious this year...had some just yesterday.

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Here's an interesting one - according to the CDC, it's both! http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/5aday/month/watermelon.htm

They don't really go into detail, needless to say, according to them it is a fruit, but because it's related to the cucumber, it's also a vegetable.

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Fruit? Vegetable? Personally, I don't care what it's classified as. As long as it tastes good, I am gonna eat it. Just always remember, Chocolate is a vegetable. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

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A watermelon are an animal.

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