Scientific Name:
Melothria scabra
Pronunciation:
mel-OH-three-uh SKAY-bruh
Common Name:
cucamelon
Family Name:
Cucurbitaceae
Plant Type:
Annual, Greenhouse produce plant, Vine or climber
Key ID Features:
Vine rough, hairy, trailing, tendrils; leaves lobed, palmate venation; flowers yellow, about 6mm wide; pepos about 2cm long x 1cm wide, taste like slightly sour cucumbers.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Climbing
Texture:
Very coarse
Mature Height:
2 - 3m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Origin:
Mexico
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 9: (-7 to -1 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Herb, Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple, Lobed
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Prickly
Surfaces:
Branching hairs
Shapes:
Deltoid
Apices:
Acute
Margins:
Pinnately lobed
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers solitary
Flower Morphology:
Monoecious plant
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Fruit Type:
Edible, Pepo
Fruit Colour:
Green
Fruiting Time:
Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Not showy, Edible,
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green, Red
Organ Modifications:
Tendrils, Twining stems
Propagation:
Seed
Optimal Temp.:
High
Light Level:
High
Pest Susceptibility:
Rodents (Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Drought tolerant)
