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Melothria pendula
Also called Creeping Cucumber, Drooping Melonette, Guaquillo, Meloncito, Melonette, Mouse Melon
A small scrambling vine in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), closely related to cucumber, with tiny yellow flowers and berries that look like miniature watermelons. Give it a warm, sunny spot and a trellis or support to climb.
Melothria pendula (commonly known as the creeping cucumber, Guadalupe cucumber, mouse melon, and meloncito) is a plant in the Benincaseae tribe. The plant is especially prominent in the Southeastern United States. The plant resembles the cultivated cucumber, possessing miniature yellow flowers, similar leaf shape, same leaf patterns, as well as similar growth patterns. The unripe berries strongly resemble minuscule watermelons.
The ripe berries, which are black, have powerful laxative qualities when consumed. The root, vines, leaves, and flowers have unknown toxicity.
The larvae of Hypercompe cunigunda have been recorded feeding on this plant.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Melothria pendula by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
