Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Broadleaf Evergreen
Origin
Central America, Mexico
China, Japan
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
315
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
-
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-87-9
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
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm30.45 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm60.95 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Dark 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
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Alternate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
By dividing rhizomes, tubers, Seedlings, Semi-hardwood cuttings
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, Do Not over Water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
Moderate
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic
Soil Type
Loam
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune after harvesting
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
-
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
-
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Provides ground cover
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
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
ARDISIA japonica
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Japanese Ardisia, Marlberry
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Japanese Ardisia
In German
Maus Melone
Japanese Ardisia
In French
Mousemelon
Japanese Ardisia
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Ardisia japonica
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Japanese Ardisia
In Portuguese
melão rato
Japanese Ardisia
In Polish
mysz melona
Japanese Ardisia
In Latin
mouse melon
Japanese Ardisia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Ericales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Myrsinaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Ardisia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
5010
1
27800
👆🏻