Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Europe, Morocco, Western Asia
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
-700
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Mountain Slopes, Temperate Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-75-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
8-5
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
A1, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm10.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm610.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
White, Red, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Gray Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Needle like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Divison, Seedlings, Stem Cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full 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
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
Ammonium Nitrate
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Armillaria mellea, Chlorosis, Crown rot, Powdery mildew, Root rot, Rust, Verticillium Wilt
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
Drought, Dry soil, Shade areas, Wet Site
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single, Double, Semi-Double
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
Bees, Butterflies, Moths
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
Skin inflammation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals
Food for animals, Food for insects
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Arthritis, Bladder Infection, Colic, Diarrhea, Gout, Inflammation, Kidney Stones, Rheumatism, Stomach pain, Urinary tract problems
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Flowers
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Container, Cutflower, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
CALLUNA vulgaris
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Heather, Common heather, Ling
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
हीथ
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Heidekraut
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
bruyère
In Spanish
snake gourd
brezo
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
ερείκη
In Portuguese
snake gourd
urze
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
wrzos
In Latin
snake gourd
Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Ericales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Ericaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Calluna
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Ericeae
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Ericoideae
Number of Species
27860
1
27800
👆🏻