Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Southern Africa
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Gasteria brachyphylla, Gasteria rawlinsonii
Number of Varieties
316
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Deciduous forests, River side, rocky banks of streams
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-8-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
-
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
13, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Rosette/Stemless
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm12.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm10.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Coral
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Tongue shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Dry soil
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Leaf Cutting, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
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
Less Watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
Doesn't require fertilization when grown in rich soil
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Fusarium root rot, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought, Heat And Humidity
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Ants, Flies
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Irritation to intestines, Skin rash
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
For treating wrinkles, Good for the Scalp
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Aging, Blood disorders, Laxative
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Leaves, Sap
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Can be made into a herbal tea, Making Shampoo, Oil is used in mosquito repellents
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
GASTERIA
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Gasteria
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Gasteria
In German
Maus Melone
Gasteria
In French
Mousemelon
Gasteria
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Gasteria
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Gasteria
In Portuguese
melão rato
Gasteria
In Polish
mysz melona
Gasteria
In Latin
mouse melon
Gasteria
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
Monocots
Order
Cucurbitales
Asparagales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Aloaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Gasteria
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Asphodeloideae
Number of Species
5016
1
27800
👆🏻