Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
Mexico, Central America
Russia/Siberia, Western Asia
Types
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Scilla siberica
Number of Varieties
73
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hillside
gardens, Moist Soils, open Woodlands, Roadsides
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-155-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-3
8-5
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
21,22
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
610.00 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.00 cm5.10 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Green
Blue
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Green, Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Irregular
Grass like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Early Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Dry Conditions
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Corms or bulbs, From bulbs, Offsets, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Keep the Soil well drained, Requires regular watering
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
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
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
Pest Free
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flying insects
-
Allergy
-
contact allergic dermatitis, poisonous if ingested
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Farmland
Beautification, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover
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
Flowers
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
SECHIUM edule
SCILLA siberica
Common Name
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
Siberian Squill, Siberian Wood Squill
In Hindi
Chayote
Scilla siberica
In German
Chayote
Sibirischer Blaustern
In French
Chayote
Scille de Sibérie
In Spanish
Chayote
siberica Scilla
In Greek
Chayote
Scilla siberica
In Portuguese
chuchu
Scilla siberica
In Polish
Chayote
Cebulica syberyjska
In Latin
chayote
Scilla siberica
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Asparagales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Asparagaceae
Genus
Sechium
Scilla
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Sicyeae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Scilloideae
Number of Species
581
1
27800
👆🏻