Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Central America, Mexico
North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Brazil
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Echinopsis pachanoi
Number of Varieties
310
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
shrublands
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-812-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-10
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
12, 13, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm15.20 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Orange, Rose
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Succulent
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
-
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Cuttings
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, Keep immersed in water, Requires more often in extreme heat
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune to stimulate growth
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
6-12-12 or 5-10-10
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Mealybugs, Red spider mite, Scale insects, Slugs, Snails
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
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
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
drowsiness, Nausea, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Beautification, Decorating walls, Showy Purposes, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
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
Aphrodisiac, Tonic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
extracted oil
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties, Used for Landscaping
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
ECHINOPSIS pachanoi
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
San Pedro
In Hindi
Mousemelon
सैन पेड्रो
In German
Maus Melone
Echinopsis pachanoi
In French
Mousemelon
Echinopsis pachanoi
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Echinopsis pachanoi
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
San Pedro κάκτος
In Portuguese
melão rato
Wachuma
In Polish
mysz melona
San pedro (kaktus)
In Latin
mouse melon
San Pedro
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Echinopsis
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Trichocereeae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Cactoideae
Number of Species
5036
1
27800
👆🏻