Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Flowering Plants, Herbs
Fruit
Origin
Southwestern United States, Mexico
Middle Africa, Southern Africa
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
561
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Mountains, Upland
Low Elevation, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-9-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9-2
12-5
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
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
Clump-Forming
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
45.70 cm10.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Rose, Crimson
Lemon yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Green, Orange, Light Green, Dark Green, Orange Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long Linear
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
From bulbs
reseeds, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do Not over Water, Requires a lot of watering
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
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Leaf spot, Root rot
Nematodes, Powdery mildew
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
-
Allergy
-
Toxic
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Broken Bones, Burns, Sore throat, Stomach aliments, Urine infections
Vermifuge
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cutflower, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
PENSTEMON barbatus
CUCUMIS metuliferus
Common Name
Beardlip Penstemon, Scarlet Beardtongue
African Horned Cucumber, Blowfish Fruit, Jelly Melon, Kiwano Melon
In Hindi
Beardlip Penstemon
Kiwano Melon
In German
Beardlip Penstemon
Hornmelone
In French
penstemon beardlip
Cucumis metulifer
In Spanish
penstemon beardlip
Cucumis metuliferus
In Greek
beardlip penstemon
Kiwano Melon
In Portuguese
penstemon beardlip
pepino africano
In Polish
beardlip penstemon
Ogórek kiwano
In Latin
Birdlip penstemon
Kiwano Melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Violales
Family
Scrophulariaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Penstemon
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Dicotyledonous, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
401
1
27800
👆🏻