Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
Central America, Mexico
China
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Caliicarpa bodinieri, Callicarpa dichotoma, Caliicarpa japonica
Number of Varieties
320
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Woodland Garden Dappled Shade
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-85-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
8-3
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
3a, 3b, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm609.60 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm243.84 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Pink, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
Purple
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green, Yellow green, Rose
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Needs watering once a week
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune in early spring, Prune in late winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Balanced liquid fertilizer monthly
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
-
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Pollen
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification, Food for animals, Food for birds, Food for insects, Wildlife
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Dysentry, Fever, Malaria, Rheumatism, Stomach pain
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Leaves, Root, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Cattle Fodder, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
CALLICARPA bodinieri 'Profusion'
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Beautyberry
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Beauty Berry Plant
In German
Maus Melone
Schönheit Berry Pflanze
In French
Mousemelon
Beauté Berry Plante
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Planta de la baya de belleza
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Ομορφιά Berry Φυτών
In Portuguese
melão rato
Planta Berry beleza
In Polish
mysz melona
Beauty Berry roślin
In Latin
mouse melon
Planta forma Berry
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Vascular plant
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Verbenaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Callicarpa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Amaryllidoideae
Number of Species
50140
1
27800
👆🏻