Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Perennial
Origin
Central America, Mexico
North America, United States, Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, Canada
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
32
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
gardens, Hardwood forests
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-85-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
7-5
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
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm12.70 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Butterfly shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Divison, Seedlings, 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
Medium
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
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove deadheads, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Bees, Butterflies
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
Cancer, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Root
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Feature Plant, Groundcover
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
JEFFERSONIA diphylla
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
-
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Twinleaf
In German
Maus Melone
Twinleaf
In French
Mousemelon
Twinleaf
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Twinleaf
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Twinleaf
In Portuguese
melão rato
Twinleaf
In Polish
mysz melona
Twinleaf
In Latin
mouse melon
Twinleaf
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Ranunculales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Berberidaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Jeffersonia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
502
1
27800
👆🏻