Citrullus is a genus of four species of
desert vines, among which
Citrullus lanatus (the
watermelon) is an important crop. Recent molecular data, including sequences from the original collection of
Citrullus lanatus, made by C. P. Thunberg in 1773, show that the plant originally dubbed
Citrullus lanatus was not a watermelon, which the name now refers to, but instead a bitter melon, as implied by Thunberg's original description of the species.