Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants, Fruits, Herbs
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Central America, West Indies
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
35
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Open areas, Open Plains
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-88-11
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
-
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm100.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Red, Reddish Plum, Rose
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Red, Rose, Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Sea Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Sea Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Sea Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Sea Green, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Cone shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Fall, Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loamy
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Early Fall, Early Summer, Late Spring, Late Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
From bulbs, From Rhizomes, 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
Allow soil to be completely dry in between waterings, It cannot sustain wet-feet, Requires regular watering, Water every two or three days during warmer months
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loamy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune after harvesting, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Anthracnose, Banana aphid, Banana mosaic, Black sigatoka, Bunchy top, Cigar end rot, Coconut scale, Moko disease, Panama disease, Rhizome rot, Yellow sigatoka
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
-
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Hives, Itchiness, Swelling, Throat itching, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
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
Fiber, Hair Loss, Kidney Stones, Piles, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties, Used in herbal medicines
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Cutflower, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
Musa acuminata
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Red banana, Red Dacca bananas
In Hindi
Mousemelon
लाल केला
In German
Maus Melone
Red Banana
In French
Mousemelon
Red Banana
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Red Banana
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
κόκκινο Μπανάνα
In Portuguese
melão rato
Banana vermelha
In Polish
mysz melona
Red Banana
In Latin
mouse melon
ARIERA Rubrum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Zingiberales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Strelitziaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Musa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Monocotyledonous
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
5050
1
27800
👆🏻