Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual
Type
Tender Perennial
Vegetable
Origin
Brazil
Central America, Mexico
Types
Yellow Bloodleaf, Herbst's Bloodleaf, Standley's Bloodleaf
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
703
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
tropical environments
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
11-157-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
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
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.24 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.32 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Red, Green, Purple
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Red, Green, Purple
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Red, Green, Purple
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Softwood cuttings, Stem Cutting, Tip cutting
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut or pinch the stems, Remove branches that rub together, Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove deadheads
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Balanced liquid fertilizer every 4 weeks
Compost, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Cold climate
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Insects, Wildlife
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
Pollen
Throat itching, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Indoor Air Purification, Provides ground cover
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Mixed Border
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
IRESINE herbstii
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Bloodleaf, Herbst's bloodleaf
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
Bloodleaf Plant
Mousemelon
In German
Bloodleaf Pflanze
Maus Melone
In French
Feuillesang Plante
Mousemelon
In Spanish
Planta Sangrienta
Mousemelon
In Greek
Bloodleaf φυτών
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
Bloodleaf Planta
melão rato
In Polish
Bloodleaf roślin
mysz melona
In Latin
Planta Bloodleaf
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cucurbitales
Family
Amaranthaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Iresine
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Gomphreneae
Melothrieae
Subfamily
Gomphrenoideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
7050
1
27800
👆🏻