Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Fruit
Origin
Central America, Mexico
South Asia, Southeast Asia
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
-
Number of Varieties
35
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
Mediterranean region
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-88-10
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
Spreading
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm800.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm600.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Green, Lemon yellow, Yellow
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Rich
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Full Sun
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Divison, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
High
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
Reduce watering once fruit are growing, Water daily during growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic
Soil Type
Loam
Rich
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Prune to control growth, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
Compost, organic fertlizers
Fertilize in early to mid-summer, for fruiting plants, use high phosphorous content fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Aphids, Citrus foot rot, Citrus gummosis, Citrus leaf miner, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate
Full Sun
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Double, Semi-Double
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Ants, Birds
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Anaphylaxis, Cough, Nausea, Rhinitis, Stomach pain, Swelling, Urticaria, Vomiting, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Farmland, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Acne, Good for skin, Good for the Scalp, Improve skin tone, Moisturizing, Strong, beautiful hair
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Food for animals, Very little waste
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
anti-cancer, constipation, Digestive, Gastrointestinal disorders, Gout, Immunity, Jaundice, Respiratory Disorders, Rheumatoid arthritis, Ulcers, Urinary problems, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Cosmetics, Used as a flavouring in food, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Edible, Fruit Tree, Tropical
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
Citrus limetta
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
sweet lime, sweet lemon, sweet limetta
In Hindi
Mousemelon
मौसम्बी
In German
Maus Melone
süße Limone
In French
Mousemelon
Citrus limetta
In Spanish
Mousemelon
limetta dulce, limón dulce mediterráneo, limón dulce y lima dulce
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
γλυκό ασβέστη
In Portuguese
melão rato
doce de limão
In Polish
mysz melona
słodkie limonki
In Latin
mouse melon
dulcis ad cinerem
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Sapindales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Rutaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Citrus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
-
Tribe
Melothrieae
Citreae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Citroideae
Number of Species
503
1
27800
👆🏻