The dwarf vine and small fruit watermelon, referred to as ‘dsh’ in this study, is a natural mutant of the ordinary watermelon, ‘Hanxuan Lvyuan’.Morphological assessment indicated that its main vine length, internode length, and single-fruit weight were significantly lower than those of the ordinary watermelon(P < 0.05). After crossing the mutant with two ordinary watermelons, following by inbreeding the F_1 and backcrossing(BC)F_1 to ‘dsh’, the F_1, F_2, and BC generations were obtained. Genetic analysis of vine type and single-fruit weight showed that the F_1 generation consisted of long-vine plants, with single-fruit weight significantly higher than that of the ordinary parent watermelon(P < 0.05). The long and short vine plant ratios of the F_2 and BC populations conform to the Mendel’s segregation ratios of 3:1 and 1:1(P > 0.05), respectively. It was suggested that this dwarf and small fruit mutation was a single recessive gene trait that followed a Mendel’s inheritance. The dwarf vine and small fruit watermelon, referred to as’ dsh ’in this study, is a natural mutant of the ordinary watermelon,’ Hanxuan Lvyuan’.Morphological assessment indicated that its main vine length, internode length, and single-fruit weight were significantly lower than those of the ordinary watermelon (P <0.05). After crossing the mutant with two ordinary watermelons, following by inbreeding the F_1 and backcrossing (BC) F_1 to ’dsh’, the F_1, F_2, and BC generations were obtained. Genetic analysis of vine type and single-fruit weight showed that the F_1 generation consisted of long-vine plants, with single-fruit weight significantly higher than that of the ordinary parent watermelon (P <0.05). The long and short vine plant ratios of the F_2 and BC populations conform to the Mendel’s segregation ratios of 3: 1 and 1: 1 (P> 0.05), respectively. It was suggested that this dwarf and small fruit mutation was a single recessive gene trait that followed a Mendel’s inheritance.