Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Broadleaf Evergreen
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Eastern Europe, Western Asia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Castlewellan, Otto Luyken, Schipkaensis
Number of Varieties
33
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Lowland evergreen rainforest
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-86-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
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
Spreading
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
broad, flat
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
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
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Softwood cuttings
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 the Soil well drained, Provide sufficient water to saturate the root zone, Use Mulches to help prevent water loss during hot and windy weather
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, Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
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
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
Bees, Birds, Insects
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Informal Hedge
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Eye Infection, Nausia, Vomiting
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
extracted oil
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Dried heads are used in floristry
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Foundation, Hedges, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
PRUNUS laurocerasus 'Otto Luyken'
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
cherry laurel, common laurel
In Hindi
Mousemelon
English laurel
In German
Maus Melone
Lorbeerkirsche
In French
Mousemelon
Laurier-cerise
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Prunus laurocerasus
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Prunus laurocerasus
In Portuguese
melão rato
Prunus laurocerasus
In Polish
mysz melona
Laurowiśnia wschodnia
In Latin
mouse melon
Prunus padus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Rosales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Rosaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Prunus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
5040
1
27800
👆🏻