Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Fruit
Origin
Eastern Africa, Madagascar
Middle Africa, Southern Africa
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
11
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Screen Cottage and Informal Garden
Low Elevation, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-15-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-5
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
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
550.00 cm240.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm10.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink, Hot Pink, Magenta, Rose
Lemon yellow
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green, Orange, Light Green, Dark Green, Orange Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Cordate
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings, Stem Cutting
reseeds, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Do not water excessively
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
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
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Nematodes, Powdery mildew
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
-
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
-
Allergy
-
Toxic
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Cottage Garden, Formal Garden, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Vermifuge
Part of Plant Used
Flowers
Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Dried heads are used in floristry, Grown for shade
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break, Tropical
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
DOMBEYA wallichii
CUCUMIS metuliferus
Common Name
Pinkball, Pink ball tree, Tropical hydrangea
African Horned Cucumber, Blowfish Fruit, Jelly Melon, Kiwano Melon
In Hindi
Pink Ball Tree
Kiwano Melon
In German
Pink Ball Tree
Hornmelone
In French
Pink Ball Tree
Cucumis metulifer
In Spanish
Pink Ball Tree
Cucumis metuliferus
In Greek
Pink Ball Tree
Kiwano Melon
In Portuguese
Pink Ball Tree
pepino africano
In Polish
Dombeja Wallicha
Ogórek kiwano
In Latin
Pink Ball Tree
Kiwano Melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malvales
Violales
Family
Sterculiaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Dombeya
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Dombeyoideae
-
Number of Species
11
1
27800
👆🏻