Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Southern Europe
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Artemisia abrotanum
Number of Varieties
3-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-85-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
8-5
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
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 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Yellow, Gray
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long hair-like leaves
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Cuttings, 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, Keep the Soil well drained
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Cut back old stems to the ground, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Complete balanced fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
-
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
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
Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Farmland, small hedge, Wild gardens
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
Antiseptic, Digestive, Liver problems, Skin Disorders, Tonic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Branch, Fibres, Flower Stalk, Gum, Leaves, Twigs
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Oil is used in mosquito repellents, Used for fragrance, Used to make hair tonic
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Herb, Vegetable, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
ARTEMISIA abrotanum
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
lad's love , southern wormwood , old man , boy's love , appleringie , sitherwood
In Hindi
Mousemelon
southernwood
In German
Maus Melone
Eberraute
In French
Mousemelon
aurone ou citronnelle
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Artemisia abrotanum
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Artemisia abrotanum
In Portuguese
melão rato
Abrótano
In Polish
mysz melona
Bylica boże drzewko
In Latin
mouse melon
Southernwood
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Asterales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Asteraceae
Genus
Cucumis
Artemisia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
Anthemideae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Asteroideae
Number of Species
507
1
27800
👆🏻