Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual and Biennials
Type
Shrub
Vegetable
Origin
Central America, South America
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Fruit Tree
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
22
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-115-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-1
Sunset Zone
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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
Habit
Thicket/Colonizing
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
457.20 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
243.84 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Pink
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Dry, Sandy
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Wind
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Pollen
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
Malpighia emarginata
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
Acerola Tree
लौकी
In German
Acerola Baum
Flaschenkürbis
In French
Acerola Arbre
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
Árbol de acerola
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
Acerola Δέντρο
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
Árvore acerola
Cabaça
In Polish
Acerola Drzewo
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
Acerola ligno
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Malpighiales
Cucurbitales
Family
Malpighiaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Malpighia
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Paperveroideae
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
-27
1
27800
👆🏻