Melothria scabra is a vine grown for its edible fruit. Fruit are about the size of grapes and taste like cucumbers with a tinge of sourness. Vernacular names include mouse melon, Mexican sour gherkin, cucamelon, Mexican miniature watermelon and Mexican sour cucumber.
This plant is native to Mexico and Central America,[1] where it is called sandiita (little watermelon). It is believed to have been a domesticated crop before western contact began.
Development:
These plants are slow-growing when they are establishing themselves, but can eventually grow up to ten feet under proper conditions. They are drought resistant and pest-resistant relative to other cucumbers.[2] Similar to the cucumber, these plants produce both male and female flowers. These plants can fertilize themselves, but the flowers are not self-fertile. Flowers are small and yellow, about four millimeters in diameter. Fruits develop at the base of the female flower.
