Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Southern Asia, India
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Butea monosperma
Number of Varieties
315
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Subtropical climates, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-810-13
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, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm910.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm1,070.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Orange, Black
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Bronze, Sandy Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Pinnate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Early Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
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
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
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
Rats
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Anaemia, Kidney Disease
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
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
Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, Astringent, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Gum, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as a dyeing color for fabric, used for making charcoal, Used to make leather, Used to prepare a traditional Holi colour
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
BUTEA monosperma
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Flame-of-the-forest, Parrot Tree
In Hindi
Mousemelon
पलाश
In German
Maus Melone
Flamme -of -the- Wald
In French
Mousemelon
Flame -of-the -forest
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Llama - de - la - bosque
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Φλόγα - of-the - δάσος
In Portuguese
melão rato
Chama -of-the -forest
In Polish
mysz melona
Płomień -of -the- las
In Latin
mouse melon
Flamma -of - Silva
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Fabales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Fabaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Butea
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
Phaseoleae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Faboideae
Number of Species
50190
1
27800
👆🏻