Life Span
Annual
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Grass
Origin
Central America, Mexico
-
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
33
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Cultivated Beds, Riverbanks
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-88-11
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
A1, A2, 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 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Sandy Brown, Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green, Gold
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long slender
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
Clay, 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
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings
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
Average Water Needs
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
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Soil test crop response correlation (STCR) based integrated fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Bacterial leaf spot, Curvularia blotch, Downy mildew, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Salt
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
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Birds
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Removes pimples
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Antioxidants, Appetizer, Heart problems, Tonic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Animal Feed, Fibre, Food for animals
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Bedding Plant, Container, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
PENNISETUM glaucum
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Millet, Pearl Millet
In Hindi
Mousemelon
बाजरा
In German
Maus Melone
Perlhirse
In French
Mousemelon
Perle Millet
In Spanish
Mousemelon
El mijo perla
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
μαργαριτάρι Κεχρί
In Portuguese
melão rato
milheto
In Polish
mysz melona
Pearl Millet
In Latin
mouse melon
Pearl milium
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Cyperales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Pennisetum
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Paniceae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Panicoideae
Number of Species
50140
1
27800
👆🏻