Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Ornamental Plants
Origin
Central America, Mexico
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
32
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Terrestrial, Tropical Forests
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-8-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-10
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
-
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Globe shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Root Division
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
Drought Tolerant
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
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
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
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
Diabetes
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
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, Groundcover, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
STENOCEREUS kerberi
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Cereus kerberi, Rathbunia kerberi, Cleistocactus kerberi
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Sina
In German
Maus Melone
Sina
In French
Mousemelon
Sina
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Sina
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Sina
In Portuguese
melão rato
Sina
In Polish
mysz melona
Sina
In Latin
mouse melon
Sina
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Equisetopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Stenocereus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Pachycereeae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Cactaceae, Cactoideae
Number of Species
50-
1
27800
👆🏻