Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Fruits, Trees
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tropical Indomalaya
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Feronia limonia, Limonia acidissima
Number of Varieties
31
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Dry areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-8-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
-
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
-
Habit
Vining/Climbing
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm800.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm900.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
Greyish Brown, Light Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Autumn
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Rich
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Late Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Budding, Layering, root cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Do not water excessively
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
Rich
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune after harvesting, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
for fruiting plants, use high phosphorous content fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
-
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Gastric
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Good Cleanser
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
-
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Blood cleanser, Diabetes, Ear ache, Energy, Kidney problems, Liver Protection, Malaria, Respiratory Disorders, Snakebite
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Edible, Fruit Tree
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
Limonia acidissima
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Wood apple, monkey fruit, curd fruit
In Hindi
Mousemelon
कबिट
In German
Maus Melone
Indischer Holzapfel
In French
Mousemelon
Kawista
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Kawista
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
γλυκό ασβέστη
In Portuguese
melão rato
Limonia
In Polish
mysz melona
Feronia słoniowa
In Latin
mouse melon
dulcis ad cinerem
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Sapindales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Rutaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Limonia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Citreae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Aurantioideae
Number of Species
501
1
27800
👆🏻