Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Perennial
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Mexico
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Sringar, Mexican Single, Pearl
Number of Varieties
34
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Cold Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-87-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
11-7
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
H1, H2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
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
White, Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Sea Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Sea Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Blue Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, 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
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
From bulbs, From Rhizomes
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 regular watering
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
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
cut main flower spike, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
8-8-8, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Aphids, Mites, Thripes
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Butterflies
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Bouquets, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Skin inflammation
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
Antidepressant, Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Sedative
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Decoration Purposes, Making deodorants, Making Perfumes, Used as essential oil, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Cutflower, Feature Plant, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
POLIANTHES tuberosa
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Tuberose
In Hindi
Mousemelon
रजनीगंधा
In German
Maus Melone
Tuberose
In French
Mousemelon
Tubéreuse
In Spanish
Mousemelon
nardo
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Τουμπερόζα
In Portuguese
melão rato
Tuberosa
In Polish
mysz melona
Tuberoza
In Latin
mouse melon
Tuberose
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Asparagales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Amaryllidaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Polianthes
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
5012
1
27800
👆🏻