Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Epiphyte
Origin
Central America, Mexico
South America
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
A. s. var. angustifolium,A. s. var. sesquipedale
Number of Varieties
33
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Coastal Regions, Lowland
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-810-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-9
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
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm30.50 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm35.60 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White, Yellow, Fuchsia, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Multi-Color
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Light Green, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Bi-lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Late Fall, Early Winter, Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
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
Keep ground moist, Keep the Soil well drained, 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
-
Soil Type
Loam
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune prior to new growth, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove short branches, Remove short twigs, Remove wet foliage
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Beetles, Root rot, Slugs, Snails
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
-
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Butterflies, Flying insects, pollinators
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Cut Flowers, Decorating walls, Showy Purposes, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Seeds
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Cut Flowers, Decoration Purposes, Making Perfumes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
Angraecum sesquipedale
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Darwin's orchid, Christmas orchid, Star of Bethlehem orchid, and King of the Angraecums
In Hindi
Mousemelon
क्रिसमस स्टार आर्किड
In German
Maus Melone
Weihnachtsstern Orchidee
In French
Mousemelon
Noël orchidée étoiles
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Orquídea estrella de Navidad
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Χριστούγεννα ορχιδέα αστέρων
In Portuguese
melão rato
Orquídea estrela do Natal
In Polish
mysz melona
Gwiazda Betlejemska storczyków
In Latin
mouse melon
क्रिसमस स्टार आर्किड
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Equisetopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Asparagales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Orchidaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Angraecum
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Vandeae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Epidendroideae
Number of Species
50220
1
27800
👆🏻