Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Caribbean, South America
Central America, Mexico
Types
-
Slicing, Pickling and burpless
Number of Varieties
103
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Primary Rainforest, Riverbanks, subtropical regions, Tropical regions
Floodplains, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-157-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
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
Upright/Erect
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
850.00 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
40.00 cm180.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Light Green, Ivory
Yellow, Gold
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Ivory
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Circular and deeply palmately-lobed
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
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, Alkaline
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
-
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Cold climate
Flowers
Insignificant
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
Bold
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Fruit Bats
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
Antibacterial, Anti-inflammatory
Throat itching, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Food for birds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antidiabetic, Asthma
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Latex, Leaves
Fruits, Seeds
Other Uses
Used in making tea, Used in pies, cakes
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Mixed Border, Shade Trees, Tropical
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
CECROPIA palmata
MELOTHRIA scabra
Common Name
Snakewood Tree
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon
In Hindi
Snakewood Tree
Mousemelon
In German
Schlangenholz -Baum
Maus Melone
In French
Amourette Arbre
Mousemelon
In Spanish
Árbol de madera de serpiente
Mousemelon
In Greek
Snakewood Tree
πεπόνι ποντίκι
In Portuguese
Snakewood Tree
melão rato
In Polish
Snakewood Tree
mysz melona
In Latin
Snakewood Tree
mouse melon
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
Tracheophyta
Class
Eudicotyledoneae
Magnoliopsida
Order
Rosales
Cucurbitales
Family
Urticaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Cecropia
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Melothrieae
Subfamily
-
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
6150
1
27800
👆🏻