Native to arid landscapes of sub-Saharan Africa, it has been a wild source of nutrition and hydration for humans for an extraordinarily long time.

[6] The citron melon is native to Africa, probably the Kalahari Desert, where it still grows abundantly.

The time and place of its first domestication is unknown, but it appears to have been grown in ancient Egypt at least four thousand years ago.

The actual fruit of this plant resembles the more modern, domesticated watermelons, except that it is smaller and more spheroid.

[7] Citron melon leaves are palmate in the early stages of growth, and deeply lobed in later development.