Life Span
Biennial
Annual
Type
Palm or Cycad
Fruit
Origin
South Africa
Africa
Types
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus
Cantaloupe, Hami Melon, Galia Melon
Number of Varieties
6630
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs
Cultivated Beds
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-129-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
12-4
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
290.00 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm150.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Light Yellow, Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Pinnate
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs very little water
Reduce watering once fruit are growing, Water in the early morning hours
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Cut old vines, Remove damaged fruit
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Apply N-P-K
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Cucumber beetles, Fusarium wilt
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Ants
Allergy
-
Dizziness, Mouth itching, Nausea
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin, Hair Conditioner, Stops hair loss
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Antitussive, Digestive, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Stomachic
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
For making oil for cosmetics
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii
CUCUMIS melo 'Super 45'
Common Name
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad
Muskmelon
In Hindi
Bread Tree
खरबूजा
In German
Brotbaum
Muskmelon
In French
Bread Arbre
Cantaloup
In Spanish
Árbol del pan
Melón
In Greek
ψωμί Δέντρο
Muskmelon
In Portuguese
Árvore de pão
Melão
In Polish
chleb Drzewo
Muskmelon
In Latin
panis ligno
Muskmelon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Equisetopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cycadales
Cucurbitales
Family
Cycadaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Encephalartos
Cucumis
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Melothrieae
Subfamily
-
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
66100
1
27800
👆🏻