Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Eastern Asia, China, Japan
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Heronswood Globe , Kreukenberg Dwarf
Number of Varieties
310
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
shaded moist road banks, Wet Woods
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-84-8
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
2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm1,220.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm1,220.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Red, Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Green, Copper, Sandy Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Purple, Light Green, Bronze
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Yellow, Gold, Orange Red
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, 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
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings, Transplanting
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
Keep ground moist, Use Mulches to help prevent water loss during hot and windy weather
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
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Bacterial leaf spot, Leafminers, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Salt and Soil Compaction, Shade areas, waterlogging
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
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, Butterflies
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
sneezing, Sore eyes
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
-
Making cosmetics, Skin Problems
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Shadow Tree, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant, Used in pulpwood and lumber production
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
CERCIDIPHYLLUM japonicum
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Katsura Tree
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Cercidiphyllum
In German
Maus Melone
Kuchenbäume
In French
Mousemelon
Cercidiphyllum
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Cercidiphyllum
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Cercidiphyllum
In Portuguese
melão rato
Cercidiphyllum
In Polish
mysz melona
Grujecznik
In Latin
mouse melon
Cercidiphyllum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Hamamelidales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cercidiphyllaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Cercidiphyllum
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
502
1
27800
👆🏻