Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Eastern Asia, China
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Candleberry tree
Number of Varieties
35
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Saline Soils, Upland, Upland soils
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-88-10
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
10-8
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
H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm600.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Yellow, Red, Orange
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Cold climate, Drought, Pollution, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Grafting, Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting
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
Average Water Needs, Medium, Requires watering in the growing season
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
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
fertilize in growing season, Less fertilizing, Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Insects, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Cold climate, Drought, Salt
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Nausea, Toxic, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Landscape Designing
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Absorbs greenhouse gases, Absorbs huge amounts of CO2, Air purification, Amazing growth rate, Erosion control, Food for insects, Forms dense stands, Nesting sites for birds, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, Shadow Tree, Shelter for wildlife, Soil protection, soil stabilisation, Used to establish native woodland, Very little waste, Wildlife, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Boils
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Employed in herbal medicine, Showy Purposes, Used as firewood, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
TRIADICA sebifera
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Chinese Tallow
In Hindi
Mousemelon
चीनी तेल
In German
Maus Melone
chinesisch Talg
In French
Mousemelon
chinesisch Talg
In Spanish
Mousemelon
suif chinois
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
κινέζικο ζωικό λίπος
In Portuguese
melão rato
sebo chinesa
In Polish
mysz melona
chiński łój
In Latin
mouse melon
Chinese adipe
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Embryophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Malpighiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Triadica
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
Hippomaneae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Euphorbioideae
Number of Species
50100
1
27800
👆🏻