Life Span
Annual
Annual
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
North America, Northeastern United States, North-Central United States, Alaska, Canada
Central America, Mexico
Types
Ornamental Tree
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
303
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Slopes, Swamps
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
2-77-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
7-1
12-1
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6
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
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,520.00 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
760.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Black
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Yellow, Gold
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Stem Planting
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune after flowering, Remove shoots
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Compost, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Cold climate
Flowers
Showy
Showy
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
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
Air purification
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cold, Cough, Gout, Laxative, Rheumatism, Wounds
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Wood
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Animal Feed, Sometimes used for making wine
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
BETULA papyrifera
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Paper Birch
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
Paper birch
Mousemelon
In German
Papierbirke
Maus Melone
In French
Le bouleau à papier
Mousemelon
In Spanish
abedul de papel
Mousemelon
In Greek
σημύδα χαρτί
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
vidoeiro de papel
melão rato
In Polish
brzoza papieru
mysz melona
In Latin
Paper betula
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Fagales
Cucurbitales
Family
Betulaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Betula
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Melothrieae
Subfamily
-
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
6050
1
27800
👆🏻