Life Span
Annual
Annual and Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
Central America, Mexico
Central America, South America
Types
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Vine, Flowering plant
Number of Varieties
35
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Floodplains, Wet forest
All sorts of environments, Along Railroads, Banks, Moist Ditches, Roadsides, rocky banks of streams
USDA Hardiness Zone
7-810-13
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
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
21,22
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
15.20 cm15.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
Purple, Rose
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Purple, Dark Green, Black
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial 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
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall, Late Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Tuber propagation
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 the Soil well drained, Needs very little water
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
Clay, 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
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
Red blotch
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
Aphids, Beetles, Cutworms, Insects, Mites, Whiteflies
Allergy
Throat itching, Vomiting
Abdominal pain, allergic reaction, Nausea, Skin rash, Twitching of face
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
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
Cures constipation, Fiber, Low calories, lowering blood pressure, Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Leaves, Root, Shoots, Stem, Tuber
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Starch, Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Vine
Botanical Name
MELOTHRIA scabra
IPOMOEA batatas 'Blackie'
Common Name
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
Blackie Sweet Potato Vine, Sweet Potato Vine
In Hindi
Mousemelon
शकरकन्द
In German
Maus Melone
Süßkartoffel
In French
Mousemelon
Patate douce
In Spanish
Mousemelon
Ipomoea batatas
In Greek
πεπόνι ποντίκι
Sweet potato
In Portuguese
melão rato
Batata-doce
In Polish
mysz melona
Wilec ziemniaczany
In Latin
mouse melon
Ipomoea batatas
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Solanales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Convolvulaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Ipomoea
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Melothrieae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
50500
1
27800
👆🏻