Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, Central United States, Canada, Mexico
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Plains Cottonwood, Rio Grande cottonwood
Number of Varieties
35
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
bottomlands, Floodplain, Hardwood forests, Riverbanks
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-83-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-1
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
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm3,050.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm2,130.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Red, Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
White
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Yellow
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Toothed curved and flat petiole
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Early Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Soil Compaction, Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season, Water daily during growing season, Water Deeply, Water more in summer
In Summer
Lots of watering
Ample Water
In Spring
Moderate
Ample Water
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove dead branches, Remove hanging branches
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
fertilize in growing season, Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Aphids, Borers, Caterpillars, Insects
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought, Soil Compaction, Wet Site
Flowers
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Hay fever, Headache, Runny nose, sneezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Landscape Designing
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification, Forms dense stands, Prevent Soil Erosion, Shadow Tree, Shelter for wildlife, Wildlife, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Anodyne, Anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, Febrifuge
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Inner Bark, Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Biomass for fuel, Used as firewood, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
POPULUS deltoides
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Eastern Cottonwood
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Eastern Cottonwood
In German
Maus Melone
Eastern Cottonwood
In French
Mousemelon
Cottonwood Orient
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Cottonwood del Este
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Ανατολική Cottonwood
In Portuguese
melão rato
Cottonwood Oriental
In Polish
mysz melona
Eastern Cottonwood
In Latin
mouse melon
Orientalium Poplar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Anthophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Dicotyledonae
Order
Cucurbitales
Salicales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Salicaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Populus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Salicoideae
Number of Species
503
1
27800
👆🏻