Egypt/Sinai: Sinai Desert – Desert Melon

One of the most unusual plants in the inhospitable Sinai desert is the endemic desert melon, one of the smallest melons in the world. While it looks just like a miniature watermelon, it tastes supposedly very bitter and is used by local beduins a medicine for arthritis in its fresh form. It’s used in the Egyptian medicine as well in the dried up tea additives. It looked totally out of place in the yellow and red sands, growing in the wild.