Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
-
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Chitalpa tashkentensis
Number of Varieties
33
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Dry areas, Semi desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-87-11
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
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
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm460.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm460.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White, Purple, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
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
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long Elliptic
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
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings, Stem Planting
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
Keep ground moist, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires little pruning, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, fertilize in growing season
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Insects, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Flowers
Showy
Showy
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
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
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, Amazing growth rate, Food for birds, Food for insects, Nesting sites for birds, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Shade Trees
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
X CHITALPA tashkentensis
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Chitalpa
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Chitalpa संयंत्र
In German
Maus Melone
Chitalpa Pflanze
In French
Mousemelon
plante Chitalpa
In Spanish
Mousemelon
planta Chitalpa
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
φυτό Chitalpa
In Portuguese
melão rato
planta Chitalpa
In Polish
mysz melona
Chitalpa roślin
In Latin
mouse melon
Chitalpa herba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Bignoniaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Chitalpa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
502
1
27800
👆🏻