Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Herbaceous Perennial
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Asia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Bowl of Beauty, Laura Dessert
Number of Varieties
3700
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-83-9
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
A1, A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm76.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White, Light Yellow, Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Bronze
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green, Bronze
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Lanceolate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Spring, Late Spring
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
Water during periods of drought
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
Loam
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
High phosphorus
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Blight, Leaf spot, Stem spot, Viruses
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Double
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Ants, Insects
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Heals cracked skin
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, Anodyne, Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Astringent, Carminative, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Root, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Eaten in a broth, Powdered and mixed with tea
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Cutflower, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
PAEONIA lactiflora 'Laura Dessert'
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Garden Peony, Chinese Peony
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Garden Peony
In German
Maus Melone
Garten -Pfingstrose
In French
Mousemelon
Jardin Pivoine
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Jardín Peony
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Κήπος Παιώνια
In Portuguese
melão rato
Garden Peony
In Polish
mysz melona
Garden Peony
In Latin
mouse melon
AGLAOPHOTIS paradiso
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Dilleniales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Paeoniaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Paeonia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
5040
1
27800
👆🏻