Life Span
Annual and Biennials
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southeastern Asia, India, China
Types
Lagenaria siceraria
Tropical Fruit Tree
Number of Varieties
210
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
Subtropical forests, Tropical Forests
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-710-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-9
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, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Spreading
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm1,220.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm1,370.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Green, Yellow green, Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark 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 or Lanceolate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
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 dead branches
Fertilizers
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
Put diluted fertilizers
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
Chlorosis, Susceptible to insect pests and moulds
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
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
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
-
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
-
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
Antibacterial, Antidiabetic, Antifungal, antimicrobial, Astringent, Expectorant
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Bark, Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Jam, Jelly, used in Indian cuisine in curries
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Edible, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
Lagenaria siceraria
DILLENIA indica
Common Name
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
Chulta, Elephant Apple
In Hindi
लौकी
Elephant Apple
In German
Flaschenkürbis
Elefant von Apple
In French
Lagenaria siceraria
Elephant d'Apple
In Spanish
Lagenaria siceraria
El elefante de Apple
In Greek
Τσότρα
ελέφαντας της Apple
In Portuguese
Cabaça
Elefante da Apple
In Polish
Tykwa pospolita
Słoń Jabłko
In Latin
utrem cucurbita
Elephant Apple
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Dilleniales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Dilleniaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Dillenia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
-
Number of Species
271
1
27800
👆🏻