Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vines
Vegetable
Origin
Africa, South America, Southeast Asia
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Oriental Bittersweet, American Bittersweet
-
Number of Varieties
50-
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
All sorts of environments
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-125-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
3,050.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,520.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Green, Light Yellow, Yellow green
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Light Yellow, Red
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round with toothed margin
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
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
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Winter
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water frequently
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove dead branches
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Does not require fertilizer once established
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Leaf rust, Thripes
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Sun
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Fruit Bats, Hummingbirds
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Chest Pain, Inflammation, Skin rash, Vomiting
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bouquets
-
Beauty Benefits
For treating wrinkles, Skin cleanser
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for birds, Suppresses or replaces native plants
Food for animals
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antibacterial, antimicrobial, Antispasmodic
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Seeds
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Application in Handicrafts, Used as a nemiticide, Used for its medicinal properties
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
Celastrus orbiculatus
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Common Name
Oriental bittersweet, Asian bittersweet
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
In Hindi
Asian bittersweet
चिचिण्डा
In German
Rundblättriger Baumwürger
Schlangenhaargurke
In French
Asian bittersweet
Trichosanthes cucumerina
In Spanish
Asian bittersweet
snake gourd
In Greek
Asian bittersweet
φίδι κολοκύθα
In Portuguese
Asian bittersweet
snake gourd
In Polish
Dławisz okrągłolistny
Gurdlina ogórkowata
In Latin
Asian bittersweet
snake gourd
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Celastrales
Cucurbitales
Family
Celastraceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Celastrus
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Celastroideae
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
4027
1
27800
👆🏻