Life Span
Annual and Biennials
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Vegetable
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Mexico, Central America
Types
Lagenaria siceraria
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Number of Varieties
27
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
Hillside
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-710-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-3
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, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm610.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm25.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Light Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Irregular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Dry Conditions
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
Medium
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
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Dry Conditions
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Bees, Flying insects
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Farmland
Beauty Benefits
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
Lagenaria siceraria
SECHIUM edule
Common Name
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
In Hindi
लौकी
Chayote
In German
Flaschenkürbis
Chayote
In French
Lagenaria siceraria
Chayote
In Spanish
Lagenaria siceraria
Chayote
In Greek
Τσότρα
Chayote
In Portuguese
Cabaça
chuchu
In Polish
Tykwa pospolita
Chayote
In Latin
utrem cucurbita
chayote
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Violales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Sechium
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Sicyeae
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
275
1
27800
👆🏻