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GENERAL
Origin
:
Mediterranean,
sub-tropical,
tropical
Vigour
:
fast growing
Humidity
:
very arid, semi-
arid, semi-humid
Propagation :
sowing and
pricking out
Maintenance :
low
CONDITIONS
Urban climate :
resistant
Dessication :
resistant
Stagnant water :
vulnerable
Irrigation
:
none
Salinity/ppm :
low (1000 ppm)
Hardiness
:
0°C
SHAPE
Type
:
perennial
Height
:
0.3 m
Spread
:
3 m
Foliage
:
deciduous
FLOWER
Colour
:
yellow
Size
:
2.5 cm
Period
:
March - July
FRUIT
Type of fruit :
berry
Fruit size
:
7 cm
Toxicity
:
poisonous
Citrullus colocynthis, known in English as Bitter Apple and in Arabic as hanzal, is a fast growing,
prostrate, trailing or climbing perennial herb with tendrils that can extend up to 3 metres. It oc-
curs throughout northern and southern Africa, southwest Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, where
it is widespread, especially in the Arriyadh region, owing to its hardiness in the summer. A more
common relative of C. colocynthis is Citrullus lanatus, the watermelon. The leaves are triangular,
grey-green and deeply lobed with three to seven lobes. The branches are hairy. The small, yellow
flowers appear in summer. The fruit is about 7 cm in size, initially fleshy and a mottled green
with yellow bands. Older fruits are yellow, and rattle if shaken. The fruit was used formerly as
a digestive, and the taste is very bitter. Nowadays, its medicinal uses are limited, because it can
damage the liver. Propagation is by seed. It grows on sandy soil, is moderately salt-tolerant, and
for landscape purposes little maintenance is necessary once established. C. colocynthis will not
tolerate frost, but recovers during summer. The Bitter Apple is very useful for open land as a co-
loniser and slope stabiliser. It can be also planted in extensive landscape schemes such as rock or
steppe gardens, and as a groundcover.
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Citrullus colocynthis,
Cucurbitaceae
Bitter Apple,
hanzal, bateekh