Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Southeastern Asia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
alpine shootingstar , Jewelled shootingstar , Sierran shootingstar , broad-leaved shootingstar , Frigid Shootingstar
Number of Varieties
317
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Floodplains, open Woodlands
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, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White, Pink, Salmon, Coral
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Red, Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Gray Green, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Gray Green, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Gray Green, Dark Green, Burgundy
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Ovate elongated
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
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
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune after flowering, 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
Aphids, Fungal leaf spots
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Runny nose, sneezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Mixed Border, small hedge
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
-
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, Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break, Tropical
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
CLERODENDRUM quadriloculare
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
American cowslip , mosquito bills , mad violets , sailor caps
In Hindi
Mousemelon
shooting star
In German
Maus Melone
shooting star
In French
Mousemelon
Dodecatheon
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Dodecatheon
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
shooting star
In Portuguese
melão rato
Dodecatheon
In Polish
mysz melona
shooting star
In Latin
mouse melon
shooting star
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Spermatophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Primulales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Verbenaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Dodecatheon
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
5017
1
27800
👆🏻