Life Span
Annual and Biennials
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southwestern United States, California
Types
Lagenaria siceraria
-
Number of Varieties
240
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
Dry areas, meadows
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-74-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-1
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, 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
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm61.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Crimson
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Oblong
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Insects
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Whole plant
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
Lagenaria siceraria
PENSTEMON eatonii
Common Name
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
Firecracker Penstemon
In Hindi
लौकी
Firecracker penstemon
In German
Flaschenkürbis
Kracher penstemon
In French
Lagenaria siceraria
Firecracker penstemon
In Spanish
Lagenaria siceraria
Penstemon del petardo
In Greek
Τσότρα
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
In Portuguese
Cabaça
Penstemon do foguete
In Polish
Tykwa pospolita
petarda penstemon
In Latin
utrem cucurbita
Firecracker Persicaria
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Penstemon
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
-
Number of Species
27250
1
27800
👆🏻