Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrubs, Trees
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Northeast Mexico, Southeastern United States
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Deciduous, Evergreen
Number of Varieties
3800
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Hillside, Slopes
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-89-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
-
Sunset Zone
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
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm300.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Dry, Loam, Sandy
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Dry
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Early Spring, Late Spring, Mid Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Do not water excessively
In Summer
Lots of watering
Adequately
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Dry, Loamy, Sandy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Dry
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
-
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
-
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Healthy tree
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
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
Coarse
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Birds, Flies
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Erosion control
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Fever, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Food for animals, Food for insects
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
Senegalia berlandieri
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Acacia
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Acacia
In German
Maus Melone
Acacia
In French
Mousemelon
Acacia
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Acacia
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Acacia
In Portuguese
melão rato
Acacia
In Polish
mysz melona
Acacia
In Latin
mouse melon
Acacia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Fabales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Fabaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Acacia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
-
Tribe
Melothrieae
Acacieae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Mimosoideae
Number of Species
501350
1
27800
👆🏻