Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Fruit
Tender Perennial
Origin
Africa
Southern Africa
Types
-
Perennial
Number of Varieties
150
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds, Fields, Waste areas
Desert, Mediterranean region, Subtropical climates, Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99998-10
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-4
10-8
Sunset Zone
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
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
20.30 cm61.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
150.00 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow
Yellow, Light Yellow, Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Green, Yellow green, Light Green
Green, Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
reseeds, Seedlings
Rhizome division, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Over-watering can cause leaf problems or root diseases, Requires regular watering
Requires regular watering
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
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Any balanced general purpose fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Bacterial fruit blotch, Cabbage looper, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Red blotch
Nematodes, Scale
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Ethnobotanic
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Nutrients, Vitamin C
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Root
Other Uses
Used As Food
Roots were worn to protect and strengthen the wearer, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Bog Garden, Container, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical, Water Gardens
Botanical Name
CUCUMIS melo 'Lambkin'
DIETES bicolor
Common Name
Christmas Melon, Piel de Sapo
African iris, Fortnight lily
In Hindi
Piel de sapo
African Iris
In German
Piel de sapo
Afrikanische Iris
In French
Piel de sapo
African Iris
In Spanish
Piel de sapo
Iris africano
In Greek
Piel de sapo
Αφρικανική Iris
In Portuguese
Piel de sapo
Iris africano
In Polish
Piel de sapo
Afryki Iris
In Latin
Piel de sapo
African Iris
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Asparagales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Iridaceae
Genus
Cucumis
Dietes
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Benincaseae
Irideae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Iridoideae
Number of Species
10300
1
27800
👆🏻