Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Tender Perennial
Vegetable
Origin
World/Pandemic
Central America, Mexico
Types
242
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
2003
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Rocky areas, Sandy areas, Swamps, Terrestrial, Woodlands
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
11-147-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12-1
Sunset Zone
H2
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
Clump-Forming
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
40.60 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
45.70 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Pink, Rose, Dark Salmon, Bronze, Tan, Sandy Brown, Sienna, Ivory
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
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
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long Linear
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Cold climate, Full Sun, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Divison, Stem Planting, Transplanting
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do Not over Water, Never Over-water, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
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
Ample Water
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut or pinch the stems, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
fertilize in growing season, Phosphate, Requires high amount of nitrogen
Compost, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial soft rot, Brown Rot, Mealybugs, Spider mites
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Full Sun, Salt
Cold climate
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
-
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Insects, Mealybugs
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
-
Throat itching, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for insects, Indoor 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
Other Uses
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Mixed Border
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
ENCYCLIA hanburyi
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Encyclia, Orchid
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
आर्किड
Mousemelon
In German
Orchidee
Maus Melone
In French
Orchidée
Mousemelon
In Spanish
Orquídea
Mousemelon
In Greek
εγκύκλιο
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
orquídea
melão rato
In Polish
orquídea
mysz melona
In Latin
Epidendrum
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Asparagales
Cucurbitales
Family
Orchidaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Encyclia
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Epidendreae
Melothrieae
Subfamily
Epidendroideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
24250
1
27800
👆🏻