Life Span
Annual and Biennials
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Lagenaria siceraria
Ficus benjamina
Number of Varieties
2800
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
Temperate Regions, tropical environments, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-710-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-10
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
H1, H2, 13, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm2,440.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm3,050.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Orange Red, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Layering
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
Water carefully
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
10-10-10, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Any balanced general purpose fertilizer, slow-release fertilizers
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
Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Birds
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Bonsai, Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Reduce Bruises
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
Antibacterial, Aphrodisiac, Dysentry
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Bark, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Container
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Houseplant, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
Lagenaria siceraria
FICUS benjamina
Common Name
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
Weeping Fig, Benjamin's fig, Ficus tree
In Hindi
लौकी
रो अंजीर
In German
Flaschenkürbis
Birkenfeige
In French
Lagenaria siceraria
figuier pleureur
In Spanish
Lagenaria siceraria
higo llorón
In Greek
Τσότρα
κλάμα σύκο
In Portuguese
Cabaça
chorando fig
In Polish
Tykwa pospolita
płacz rys
In Latin
utrem cucurbita
Plorans ficum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Urticales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Moraceae
Genus
Coccinia
Ficus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Ficeae
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
-
Number of Species
27850
1
27800
👆🏻