Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Guaiacum officinale
-
Number of Varieties
3-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Coastal Regions, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Thickets, Woodlands
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-155-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2
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
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
300.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
370.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Purple, Violet, Blue Violet
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Red
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Olive
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Olive
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Olive
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter, Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Consistently
Lots of watering
In Spring
Average Water
Moderate
In Winter
Moderate
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune to stimulate growth
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Fertilize three times a year
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
fungus, Mealybugs, Scale, Spider mites
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Salt
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
Fine
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Skin irritation
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Sap
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
GUAIACUM sanctum
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Common Name
Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
In Hindi
Lignum Vitae
चिचिण्डा
In German
Lignum Vitae
Schlangenhaargurke
In French
Lignum Vitae
Trichosanthes cucumerina
In Spanish
Palo santo
snake gourd
In Greek
Lignum Vitae
φίδι κολοκύθα
In Portuguese
pau-santo
snake gourd
In Polish
Lignum Vitae
Gurdlina ogórkowata
In Latin
lignum Vitae
snake gourd
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Cucurbitales
Family
Zygophyllaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Guaiacum
Coccinia
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
327
1
27800
👆🏻