Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Broadleaf Evergreen
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Australia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Acacia retinodes retinodes, Acacia retinodes uncifolia
Number of Varieties
32
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
open forests
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
8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval/Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm530.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm530.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Blue Green, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, 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, Summer, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
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
In Summer
Lots of watering
Xeric/Desert, Drought Tolerant
In Spring
Moderate
Adequately
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune after flowering
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Red spider mite
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought, Salt
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
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
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Flowers, Seeds
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as a dye
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
Acacia retinodes
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Ever-blooming Wattle, Silver Wattle, Water Wattle
In Hindi
Mousemelon
Silver Wattle
In German
Maus Melone
Silver Wattle
In French
Mousemelon
Mimosa d'été
In Spanish
Mousemelon
acacia amarilla
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
ασήμι μιμόζα
In Portuguese
melão rato
Acacia retinodes
In Polish
mysz melona
Silver Wattle
In Latin
mouse melon
Silver Wattle
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Fabales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Fabaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Acacia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
50950
1
27800
👆🏻