Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Southwestern United States, California
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Not Available
Number of Varieties
Not Available
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Dry areas, meadows
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-8
4-9
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
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Crimson
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Not Available
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Not Available
Not Available
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Oblong
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer
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
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Tolerances
Drought
Not Available
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
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
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Insects
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Asthma
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Not Available
Not Available
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
Yes
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
PENSTEMON eatonii
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Firecracker Penstemon
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Firecracker penstemon
In German
Maus Melone
Kracher penstemon
In French
Mousemelon
Firecracker penstemon
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Penstemon del petardo
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
In Portuguese
melão rato
Penstemon do foguete
In Polish
mysz melona
petarda penstemon
In Latin
mouse melon
Firecracker Persicaria
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Not Available
Class
Magnoliopsida
Not Available
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Not Available
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Not Available
Number of Species
Not Available
Not Available
Importance of Mouse Melon and Firecracker Penstemon
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Mouse Melon and Firecracker Penstemon. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Mouse Melon and Firecracker Penstemon as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Mouse Melon is Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation and Rich in Iron whereas of Firecracker Penstemon is Burns, Snakebite and Stomach aliments. Mouse Melon has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available while Firecracker Penstemon has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available.
Compare Facts of Mouse Melon vs Firecracker Penstemon
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Mouse Melon vs Firecracker Penstemon and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Mouse Melon are Throat itching and Vomiting whereas of Firecracker Penstemon have Asthma respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Mouse Melon has showy fruits and Firecracker Penstemon has no showy fruits. Also Mouse Melon is not flowering and Firecracker Penstemon is not flowering . You can compare Mouse Melon and Firecracker Penstemon facts and facts of other plants too.