Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Cactus or Succulent, Flowering Plants
Origin
Mexico, Central America
Mexico
Types
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Epiphyllum hybrids
Number of Varieties
7200
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hillside
Tropical rainforest
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-159-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-3
11-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Weeping
Plant Size
Minimum Height
610.00 cm15.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.00 cm6.78 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Green
Red, Orange, Magenta, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
Purple, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Irregular
Long linear and narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Dry Conditions
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
From Rhizomes, Leaf Cutting, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Water occasionally
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Dry Conditions
Drought
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flying insects
Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Farmland
Beautification, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
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
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Hanging Basket, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall, Tropical
Botanical Name
SECHIUM edule
DISOCACTUS ackermannii
Common Name
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
Orchid Cactus
In Hindi
Chayote
आर्किड कैक्टस
In German
Chayote
Orchid cactus
In French
Chayote
Cactus Orchid
In Spanish
Chayote
cactus orquídea
In Greek
Chayote
ορχιδέα κάκτος
In Portuguese
chuchu
Orchid cactus
In Polish
Chayote
Orchid kaktus
In Latin
chayote
Orchid cactus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Embryophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Sechium
Disocactus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Sicyeae
Hylocereeae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Cactoideae
Number of Species
520
1
27800
👆🏻