Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Epiphyte
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Mexico, Central America
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
330
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Rocky areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-810-13
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-8
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, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm25.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm35.60 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Orange, Yellow green, Gold, Light Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Divison, 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
Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Consistently
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
-
Soil Type
Loam
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune ocassionally
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, fertilize in summer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Black Spot, Scale
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
-
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Bouquets, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
-
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Bulbs, Flowers, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Hanging Basket, Houseplant, Tropical
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
LYCASTE cochleata
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Lycaste Orchid, Shell-shaped Anther Lycaste
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Lycaste Orchid
In German
Maus Melone
Lycaste Orchidee
In French
Mousemelon
Lycaste orchidée
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Lycaste orquídea
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Lycaste ορχιδέα
In Portuguese
melão rato
Lycaste orquídea
In Polish
mysz melona
Lycaste orchidea
In Latin
mouse melon
braemii orchid
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Asparagales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Orchidaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Lycaste
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Maxillarieae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Epidendroideae
Number of Species
5031
1
27800
👆🏻