RHS Other common names
mouse melon
Annual Biennial Conservatory Greenhouse Fruit Edible Herbaceous Perennial
Melothria scabra is a fast-growing herbaceous perennial climber, usually grown as an annual, 2.5-3m high, with double-spiralled tendrils, rough-textured green leaves, 3-7cm long with three or five lobes, small yellow flowers about 4mm across in summer, and olive-shaped fruits which are usually about 2.5cm but up to 4cm long and dark green with bands of pale green mottling, in late summer and early autumn; the fruits are edible with an acidic cucumber taste and crunchy texture
Position
Full sun
Soil Types
Chalk, Loam, Sand
Max Height
2.5-4 metres
Max Spread
1-1.5 metres