Life Span
Annual
Annual and Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
South Africa
Types
-
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Number of Varieties
-7
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Boggy areas, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Sunny Edge, Woodland Garden Canopy
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-79-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
9-1
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, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm365.76 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm182.88 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Light Yellow, Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Egg-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Spring, Late Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Requires 4 to 8 inches of water above the soil line
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune in early summer, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Trim each shoot back to the first set of leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
Wet Site
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Butterflies
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Toxic
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Astringent, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, Emetic, Febrifuge, Laxative, Odontalgic, Ophthalmic, Tonic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Bark, Fruits, Inner Bark, Root, Wood
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used for woodware
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Bog Garden, Cutflower, Dried Flower, Everlasting, Feature Plant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
BERZELIA lanuginosa
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Buttonbush
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
Buttonbush shrub
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Button Strauch
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
buttonbush arbuste
In Spanish
snake gourd
arbusto buttonbush
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
Buttonbush θάμνος
In Portuguese
snake gourd
arbusto Buttonbush
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
Buttonbush krzew
In Latin
snake gourd
Frutex Buttonbush
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Rubiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Bruniaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Cephalanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
-
Number of Species
2712
1
27800
👆🏻