Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Grass
Origin
Mexico, Central America
Asia, Europe, North Africa
Types
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
purple moor-grass 'Moorhexe', variegated purple moor-grass
Number of Varieties
720
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hillside
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Lowland
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-154-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-3
9 - 1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
610.00 cm120.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.00 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Green
Dark Purple
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Yellow green, Gold
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Tan
Shape
Leaf Shape
Irregular
Needle like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Late Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Dry Conditions
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Divison, Transplanting, Vegetative Reproduction
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Requires regular watering, Water more frequently during periods of extreme drought
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
No need to fertilize every year
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Pests and diseases free
Plant Tolerance
Dry Conditions
-
Flowers
Insignificant
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flying insects
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Farmland
Showy Purposes, Water gardening
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Whole plant
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Foundation, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
SECHIUM edule
Molinia caerulea
Common Name
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
purple moor-grass
In Hindi
Chayote
बैंगनी दलदल घास
In German
Chayote
Pfeifengras
In French
Chayote
pourpre lande-grass
In Spanish
Chayote
púrpura amarra-hierba
In Greek
Chayote
μωβ Moor-γρασίδι
In Portuguese
chuchu
purple moor-grass
In Polish
Chayote
fioletowy Moor-trawa
In Latin
chayote
Maurus herba-purpura,
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Violales
Cyperales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Sechium
Molinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Sicyeae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
52
1
27800
👆🏻