Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual
Type
Shrub
Vegetable
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Crossandra, Firecracker Plant
-
Number of Varieties
50-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Homesteads, Urban areas
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-155-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
10-9
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 24
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
Habit
Upright/Erect
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
40.60 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.40 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Orange, Light Yellow, Peach, Orange Red
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Form a Soil ring to water efficiently, Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water more in summer
Keep ground moist, 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
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
No pruning needed in the early stages, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Insects
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
-
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Cold, Cough, Wounds
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Flowers
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Mixed Border, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
CROSSANDRA infundibuliformis
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Common Name
Firecracker Flower
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
In Hindi
आबोली
चिचिण्डा
In German
Kracher-Blume
Schlangenhaargurke
In French
Firecracker fleur
Trichosanthes cucumerina
In Spanish
flor petardo
snake gourd
In Greek
πυροτέχνημα λουλούδι
φίδι κολοκύθα
In Portuguese
flor foguete
snake gourd
In Polish
petarda kwiat
Gurdlina ogórkowata
In Latin
flos Firecracker
snake gourd
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Lamiales
Cucurbitales
Family
Acanthaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Crossandra
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Brodiaeoideae
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
527
1
27800
👆🏻