Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, South-Central United States
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Castanea pumila
Number of Varieties
38
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Hillside, Ridges
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-85-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-5
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
-
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm610.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm150.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White, Light Yellow, Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Light Green, Chartreuse
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Yellow, Gold, Tan
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
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
Average Water Needs, Requires watering in the growing season, Water once every two or three weeks
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune in early spring, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flowers
Showy
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Birds, Deers, Rabbits, Squirrels
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification, Food for insects
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Headache, Treating fever
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used in biomass, Wood is used for making furniture, Wood log is used in making fences
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Edible, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
CASTANEA pumila
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Chinquapin
In Hindi
Mousemelon
बौना शाहबलूत
In German
Maus Melone
Zwergkastanien
In French
Mousemelon
châtaignier nain
In Spanish
Mousemelon
el castaño enano
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
νάνος καστανιάς
In Portuguese
melão rato
νάνος καστανιάς
In Polish
mysz melona
krasnolud kasztan
In Latin
mouse melon
P. castaneis
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Anthophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Fagales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Fagaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Castanea
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
Cherokee
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Cassidinae
Number of Species
506
1
27800
👆🏻