Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Fruit
Sedge or Rush
Origin
Middle Africa, Southern Africa
World/Pandemic
Types
-
Cyperus esculentus
Number of Varieties
19
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Low Elevation, Woodlands
Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99995-12
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-5
12-1
Sunset Zone
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
A1, A2, 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
Mat-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
240.00 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
10.00 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Lemon yellow
Orange, Gold, Bronze, Tan
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green, Orange, Light Green, Dark Green, Orange Red
Dark Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Green, Yellow green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
V-Shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
-
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
reseeds, Seedlings
creeping rhizomes, Seedlings, Tubers
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water excessively
Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Nematodes, Powdery mildew
Rust
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Pigs
Allergy
Toxic
Oral Allergy
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin, Protects from sun damage
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Vermifuge
Aphrodisiac, Digestive, Diuretic, Tonic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
Fruits
Other Uses
-
For making oil, used for weaving hats
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
-
Botanical Name
CUCUMIS metuliferus
CYPERUS esculentus
Common Name
African Horned Cucumber, Blowfish Fruit, Jelly Melon, Kiwano Melon
Nut Sedge,chufa sedge, nut grass, yellow nutsedge
In Hindi
Kiwano Melon
अखरोट सेज
In German
Hornmelone
Nuss -Segge
In French
Cucumis metulifer
souchet
In Spanish
Cucumis metuliferus
tuerca de la juncia
In Greek
Kiwano Melon
καρύδι σπαθόχορτο
In Portuguese
pepino africano
Nut Sedge
In Polish
Ogórek kiwano
nakrętka turzyca
In Latin
Kiwano Melon
nut Sedge
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Violales
Poales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cyperaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Cyperus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Cypereae
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1105
1
27800
👆🏻