Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Vegetable
Origin
Mexico
Central America, Mexico
Types
Pink cestrum, Red cestrum, Purple cestrum
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
1753
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, High elevation, Roadsides
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-157-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 17, 19, 20, 21, 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
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
300.00 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
300.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Magenta, Crimson, Violet
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
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, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
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
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
-
Throat itching, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai, Hanging Basket, Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
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
Flowers, Fruits, Seeds
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
Cutflower, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break, Tropical
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
CESTRUM elegans
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Crimson cestrum, Elegant poison-berry, Purple cestrum, Red cestrum
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
Butterfly Flower plant
Mousemelon
In German
Schmetterlings-Blumen- Anlage
Maus Melone
In French
usine de fleur de papillon
Mousemelon
In Spanish
planta de la flor de mariposa
Mousemelon
In Greek
φυτό Πεταλούδα λουλούδι
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
planta de flor de borboleta
melão rato
In Polish
Motyl Kwiat roślin
mysz melona
In Latin
Flos plantae Gloria
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Solanales
Cucurbitales
Family
Solanaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cestrum
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Cestreae
Melothrieae
Subfamily
Browallioideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
25050
1
27800
👆🏻