Life Span
Annual
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Ornamental Plants, Shrubs
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Eastern Europe, Western Asia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Kochia Indica, Neokochia californica
Number of Varieties
3140
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
gardens, Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-83-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
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
A1, A2, 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
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm120.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Gray Green, Burgundy, Crimson
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Stem Cutting, 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
occasional watering once established, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Lots of watering
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Well drained
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Loamy, Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Aphids, Mosquito
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Heat Tolerance, Humidity
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Butterflies, Leaf Hoppers
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Eye irritation, Respiratory problems
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Landscape Designing
Beauty Benefits
-
For treating wrinkles, Making cosmetics, Removes dandruff, Skin cleanser
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
Diabetes, Hypotensive, Obesity
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Cattle Fodder, Sauces, Traditional medicine, Used for fragrance, Wood log is used in making fences
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Groundcover
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
BASSIA scoparia
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Burningbush, Kochia
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Bassia scoparia
In German
Maus Melone
Besen-Radmelde
In French
Mousemelon
Bassia scoparia
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Kochia scoparia
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Bassia scoparia
In Portuguese
melão rato
Bassia scoparia
In Polish
mysz melona
Mietelnik żakula
In Latin
mouse melon
Bassia scoparia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Angiosperms
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Chenopodiaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Bassia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Camphorosmoideae
Number of Species
504
1
27800
👆🏻