Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Fruit
Shrub
Origin
Middle Africa, Southern Africa
Eastern Africa, Madagascar
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
11
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Low Elevation, Woodlands
gardens, Screen Cottage and Informal Garden
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99999-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-5
12-9
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
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
240.00 cm550.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
10.00 cm240.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Lemon yellow
Pink, Hot Pink, Magenta, Rose
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green, Orange, Light Green, Dark Green, Orange Red
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Cordate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
reseeds, Seedlings
Semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water excessively
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
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
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
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 damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Nematodes, Powdery mildew
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Butterflies
Allergy
Toxic
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Cottage Garden, Formal Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Vermifuge
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
Flowers
Other Uses
-
Dried heads are used in floristry, Grown for shade
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break, Tropical
Botanical Name
CUCUMIS metuliferus
DOMBEYA wallichii
Common Name
African Horned Cucumber, Blowfish Fruit, Jelly Melon, Kiwano Melon
Pinkball, Pink ball tree, Tropical hydrangea
In Hindi
Kiwano Melon
Pink Ball Tree
In German
Hornmelone
Pink Ball Tree
In French
Cucumis metulifer
Pink Ball Tree
In Spanish
Cucumis metuliferus
Pink Ball Tree
In Greek
Kiwano Melon
Pink Ball Tree
In Portuguese
pepino africano
Pink Ball Tree
In Polish
Ogórek kiwano
Dombeja Wallicha
In Latin
Kiwano Melon
Pink Ball Tree
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Malvales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Sterculiaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Dombeya
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Dombeyoideae
Number of Species
11
1
27800
👆🏻