Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Needled or Scaled Evergreen
Vegetable
Origin
Northeastern United States, North-Central United States, Alaska, Canada
Mexico, Central America
Types
Oriental spruce, Bog spruce, Weeping spruce
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Number of Varieties
87
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Moist Soils, Slopes, Swamps, Well Drained
Hillside
USDA Hardiness Zone
1-610-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
6-1
12-3
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Narrow Upright/Fastigiate
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
3,000.00 cm610.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
60.00 cm25.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Light Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Pink
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Sea Green, Blue Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Blue Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Blue Green, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Blue Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Irregular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Slow
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Dry Conditions
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Seedlings
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
Medium
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Pinch Tips, Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Dry Conditions
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
Fine
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
Bees, Flying insects
Allergy
Dermatitis
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Farmland
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Shadow Tree
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
anti-inflammatory, Disinfectant, Kidney problems, Odontalgic, Poultice, Salve, Stomachic, tuberculosis, Vulnerary
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Inner Bark, Seeds
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Other Uses
Disinfectant, Gum, Paper pulp, Pitch, String, Used as a dye, Used in paper industry, Waterproofing
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bog Garden, Screening, Wind Break
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
PICEA mariana
SECHIUM edule
Common Name
Black Spruce, Bog Spruce, Swamp Spruce
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
In Hindi
Black Spruce Tree
Chayote
In German
Schwarz Fichte
Chayote
In French
Noir Épicéa
Chayote
In Spanish
Negro árbol de abeto
Chayote
In Greek
Μαύρο Spruce Tree
Chayote
In Portuguese
Árvore Spruce Preto
chuchu
In Polish
Czarny Świerk Drzewo
Chayote
In Latin
Niger abiegnis
chayote
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Coniferophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Pinopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Pinales
Violales
Family
Pinaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Picea
Sechium
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Sicyeae
Subfamily
Pinoideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
355
1
27800
👆🏻