Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia, Western Asia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Salix alba, Salix alba 'Vitellina'
Number of Varieties
3400
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
River side, Riverbanks, sluggish streams and rivers, stream banks, Stream side
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-84-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-1
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
A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm2,290.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm1,220.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Yellow
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Lanceolate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Early Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Budding, Grafting, Seedlings
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
Do not water frequently, Needs very little water
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
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead flowers, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
Apply N-P-K
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Aphids, Caterpillars, Flea Beetles, Red blotch, Rust, sawflies
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought, Full Sun, Heat And Humidity, Wet Site
Flowers
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Rhinitis
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
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
Anodyne, anti-inflammatory, Antirheumatic, Antiseptic, Astringent, Hypnotic, Sedative
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Bark, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Charcoal, Paper pulp
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Water Gardens
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
SALIX alba
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
White Willow
In Hindi
Mousemelon
White Willow
In German
Maus Melone
Oiite Oilloo
In French
Mousemelon
Le saule blanc
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Le saule blanco
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Λευκή ιτιά
In Portuguese
melão rato
O salgueiro branco
In Polish
mysz melona
wierzba biała
In Latin
mouse melon
Populus alba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Malpighiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Salicaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Salix
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
50400
1
27800
👆🏻