Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Vegetable
Origin
Eastern Africa, Madagascar
Mexico, Central America
Types
-
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Number of Varieties
17
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Screen Cottage and Informal Garden
Hillside
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1510-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-3
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
550.00 cm610.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
240.00 cm25.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink, Hot Pink, Magenta, Rose
Light Green
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Cordate
Irregular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Dry Conditions
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings, Stem Cutting
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Medium
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Dry Conditions
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
-
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Bees, Flying insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Cottage Garden, Formal Garden, Showy Purposes
Farmland
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
Flowers
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Other Uses
Dried heads are used in floristry, Grown for shade
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Hedges, Mixed Border, Screening, Wind Break, Tropical
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
DOMBEYA wallichii
SECHIUM edule
Common Name
Pinkball, Pink ball tree, Tropical hydrangea
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
In Hindi
Pink Ball Tree
Chayote
In German
Pink Ball Tree
Chayote
In French
Pink Ball Tree
Chayote
In Spanish
Pink Ball Tree
Chayote
In Greek
Pink Ball Tree
Chayote
In Portuguese
Pink Ball Tree
chuchu
In Polish
Dombeja Wallicha
Chayote
In Latin
Pink Ball Tree
chayote
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malvales
Violales
Family
Sterculiaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Dombeya
Sechium
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Sicyeae
Subfamily
Dombeyoideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
15
1
27800
👆🏻