Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Aquatics
Origin
Central America, Mexico
World/Pandemic, North America, Caribbean, Europe, Northern Africa, Asia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
31
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Boggy areas, Near ponds
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-82-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-1
Sunset Zone
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 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
21,22
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm182.88 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm91.44 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Sienna, Chocolate
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Does not require regular watering, Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Cut limbs, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 5-10-5 amounts, Apply N-P-K
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Wet Site
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Birds
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Skin rash
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
anticoagulant, Astringent, Burns, Diuretic, Emmenagogue, Galactogogue, Haemostatic, Miscellany, Refrigerant, Sedative, Tonic, Vulnerary
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Leaves, Root, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Fibre, For making oil, used for weaving hats, Used in biomass, Used in paper industry, Weaving into Mats and Bags
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Water Gardens, Wildflower
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
TYPHA latifolia
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Broadleaf Cattail, Common Cattail
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Broadleaf Cattail
In German
Maus Melone
Laub- Cattail
In French
Mousemelon
broadleaf Cattail
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Espadaña de hoja ancha
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
πλατύφυλλων Cattail
In Portuguese
melão rato
broadleaf Tifa
In Polish
mysz melona
Broadleaf Cattail
In Latin
mouse melon
broadleaf Cattail
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Typhales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Typhaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Typha
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Pitcairnioideae
Number of Species
5030
1
27800
👆🏻