Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Australia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Acacia salicina, Acacia stenophylla
Number of Varieties
345
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Tropical Forests
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-810-11
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
8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm610.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm370.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
-
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, 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
Fall, Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
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
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
Acidic, Neutral
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
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
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
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Root, Seeds
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Charcoal, Edible yellow dye is obtained, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Street Trees
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
ACACIA salicina
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Cooba, Willow Acacia
In Hindi
Mousemelon
willow acacia
In German
Maus Melone
Weiden Akazie
In French
Mousemelon
saule acacia
In Spanish
Mousemelon
acacia sauce
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
ιτιά ακακίας
In Portuguese
melão rato
salgueiro de acácia
In Polish
mysz melona
wierzba akacji
In Latin
mouse melon
lignis salices
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Fabales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Fabaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Acacia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
50800
1
27800
👆🏻