Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southwestern United States, California
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
-40
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Dry areas, meadows
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-74-9
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
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm61.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Crimson
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
-
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
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Oblong
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Summer
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
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Insects
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
Drought
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Asthma
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
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Whole plant
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Container, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
PENSTEMON eatonii
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Firecracker Penstemon
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
Firecracker penstemon
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Kracher penstemon
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Firecracker penstemon
In Spanish
snake gourd
Penstemon del petardo
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
πυροτέχνημα penstemon
In Portuguese
snake gourd
Penstemon do foguete
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
petarda penstemon
In Latin
snake gourd
Firecracker Persicaria
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Penstemon
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
-
Number of Species
27250
1
27800
👆🏻