Life Span
Annual
Annual, biennial or perennial
Type
Vegetable
Perennial
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Southern Europe, Western Europe, Mediterranean, Turkey, Northern Africa
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Matthiola incana
Number of Varieties
320
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
By seashore, Rocky areas, Sandy areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-86-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
8-1
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
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
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm35.60 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Purple, Pink, Rose, Coral, Peach, Blue Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Oblanceolate , Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
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
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
reseeds, 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
Do Not over Water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Fungal Diseases, Slugs
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single, Double
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
Bees, Hummingbirds
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification
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
Antidote, Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Leaves, Seedpod
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as a dye
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
MATTHIOLA incana
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Stock, Tenweeks stock, Gillyflower, Brompton Stock
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Common stock
In German
Maus Melone
Garten-Levkoje
In French
Mousemelon
Common stock
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Matthiola incana
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Common stock
In Portuguese
melão rato
Matthiola incana
In Polish
mysz melona
Common stock
In Latin
mouse melon
Matthiola incana
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Capparales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Brassicaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Matthiola
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
5050
1
27800
👆🏻