Life Span
Annual
Biennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Mexico
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Cat palm, Date palm, Old Man palm
Number of Varieties
31
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
gardens, Grassland
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-812-15
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
H1, H2, 13, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm457.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm365.76 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long hair-like leaves
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
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
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
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
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
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
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
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Bugs, Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Mites, Spider Mites
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Blurred vision, Diarrhea, Rash, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification, Shadow Tree
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
-
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, Feature Plant, Foundation, Houseplant, Tropical
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
BEAUCARNEA recurvata
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Bottle Palm, Ponytail Palm
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Ponytail Palm
In German
Maus Melone
Pferdeschwanz Palm
In French
Mousemelon
Ponytail Palm
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Cola de caballo de palma
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
αλογοουρά παλάμη
In Portuguese
melão rato
rabo- de palma
In Polish
mysz melona
kucyk palmowy
In Latin
mouse melon
ponytail palmarum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Vascular plant
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Asparagales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Beaucarnea
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Nolinoideae
Number of Species
5010
1
27800
👆🏻