Life Span
Annual
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Tender Perennial
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Madagascar
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
350
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
All sorts of environments
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-810-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-9
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
H1, H2, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
White, Red, Blue, Green, Pink, Rose
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
White, Red, Blue, Green, Pink, Rose
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
White, Red, Blue, Green, Pink, Rose
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
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
Reduce watering in winter
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
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
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Ground Cover
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
Leaves
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
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
HYPOESTES phyllostachya
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Polka Dot Plant, Polkadot Plant
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Polka dot plant
In German
Maus Melone
Tupfen-Anlage
In French
Mousemelon
Polka dot usine de
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Planta de lunares
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Φυτό πουά
In Portuguese
melão rato
Planta bolinhas
In Polish
mysz melona
Grochy roślin
In Latin
mouse melon
Facies dot herba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Acanthaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Hypoestes
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Ruellieae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Acanthoideae
Number of Species
5050
1
27800
👆🏻