Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Grass
Fruit
Origin
Europe, Asia
Middle Africa, Southern Africa
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
701
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Grassland
Low Elevation, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-8-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8 - 5
12-5
Sunset Zone
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24
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
61.00 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
40.60 cm10.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Lemon yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green, Orange, Light Green, Dark Green, Orange Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Grass like
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
reseeds, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering
Do not water excessively
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Ample Water
Moderate
In Winter
Moderate
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune to control growth
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Nematodes, Powdery mildew
Plant Tolerance
Wet Site
Drought
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
-
Allergy
Asthma, conjunctivitis, Rhinitis
Toxic
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for insects, Wildlife
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Vermifuge
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
cultivated as pasture or hay crop, Food for animals, Food for insects
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Groundcover, Rock Garden / Wall
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
ALOPECURUS pratensis
CUCUMIS metuliferus
Common Name
Meadow Foxtail
African Horned Cucumber, Blowfish Fruit, Jelly Melon, Kiwano Melon
In Hindi
Meadow Foxtail
Kiwano Melon
In German
Wiesenfuchsschwanz
Hornmelone
In French
vulpin des prés
Cucumis metulifer
In Spanish
pradera de cola de zorra
Cucumis metuliferus
In Greek
Meadow Foxtail
Kiwano Melon
In Portuguese
Meadow Foxtail
pepino africano
In Polish
łąka ber
Ogórek kiwano
In Latin
meadow Foxtail
Kiwano Melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Violales
Family
Poaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Alopecurus
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
31
1
27800
👆🏻