Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Flowering Plants
Vegetable
Origin
South America
Mexico, Central America
Types
Portulaca grandiflora
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Number of Varieties
507
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
Hillside
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-1110-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
12-3
Sunset Zone
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
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
10.20 cm610.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.30 cm25.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red
Light Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Irregular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Dry Conditions
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Medium
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Well drained
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Shearing
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Requires high amount of nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Dry Conditions
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double
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
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Bees, Flying insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Farmland
Beauty Benefits
Skin Problems
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Other Uses
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cottage garden, Edible
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
PORTULACA grandiflora
SECHIUM edule
Common Name
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
In Hindi
Portulaca
Chayote
In German
Portulak
Chayote
In French
portulaca
Chayote
In Spanish
Portulaca
Chayote
In Greek
Portulaca
Chayote
In Portuguese
Portulaca
chuchu
In Polish
Portulaca
Chayote
In Latin
Portulaca
chayote
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Violales
Family
Portulacaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Portulaca
Sechium
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Sicyeae
Subfamily
-
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
15
1
27800
👆🏻