Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Alaska, Canada, Northern Europe, Russia/Siberia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Papaver nudicaule
Number of Varieties
310
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
gardens, Grassland, Roadsides, tropical environments
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-82-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-2
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
A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 10
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White, Yellow, Red, Orange, Pink, Coral
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Egg-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam
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, Spring, Late Spring, Summer, Early Winter, Winter, Late Winter
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
Form a Soil ring to water efficiently, Requires consistently moist soil, Requires regular watering, Water Deeply
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
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
10-15-10 amounts, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Aphids, Verticillium Wilt
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
-
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
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
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
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Culinary use, Employed in herbal medicine, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Alpine, Bedding Plant, Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
PAPAVER nudicaule
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Iceland Poppy
In Hindi
Mousemelon
आइसलैंड पोस्ता
In German
Maus Melone
Islandmohn
In French
Mousemelon
pavot d'Islande
In Spanish
Mousemelon
amapola de Islandia
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Ισλανδία παπαρούνας
In Portuguese
melão rato
papoila de Islândia
In Polish
mysz melona
Iceland Poppy
In Latin
mouse melon
Iceland Poppy
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Ranunculales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Papaveraceae
Genus
Cucumis
Papaver
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Paperveroideae
Number of Species
50100
1
27800
👆🏻