Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
North America, Mexico, Central America
Mexico, Central America
Types
-
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Number of Varieties
8035
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Tropical areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-79-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-10
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, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm30.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Light Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Oblong to lance-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Needs watering once a week, Requires more often in extreme heat
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
Apply 10-10-10 amount, Apply 12-12-12 amounts, Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potassium
14-14-14 Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought, 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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Butterflies
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Borders, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
Acne, For treating wrinkles, Improve hair condition, Nourishes scalp, Removes dandruff
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Anti-fungal, Detoxification, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Weight loss
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Repellent, Use in Chinese herbology
Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
CUCURBITA pepo 'Bicolor Pear'
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
Common Name
Bicolor Pear Gourd, Ornamental Gourd
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
In Hindi
करेला
Mexican Heather
In German
Bittermelone
Mexican Heather
In French
Momordica charantia
Mexicaine Heather
In Spanish
Momordica charantia
Heather mexicana
In Greek
-
Μεξικού Heather
In Portuguese
Momordica
Mexican Heather
In Polish
Przepękla ogórkowata
Mexican Heather
In Latin
-
Mexicanus Heather
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Spermatophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Myrtales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Lythraceae
Genus
Momordica
Cuphea
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Lythroideae
Number of Species
80250
1
27800
👆🏻