Life Span
Annual and Biennials
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Lagenaria siceraria
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Number of Varieties
210
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-79-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-7
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, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm1,830.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm1,830.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Red, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Brown
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
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
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
Moderate
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
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
Nitrogen
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
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Drought, Soil Compaction
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
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
-
Beauty Benefits
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
Lagenaria siceraria
Ceiba pentandra
Common Name
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
In Hindi
लौकी
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
In German
Flaschenkürbis
Kapok baum
In French
Lagenaria siceraria
Fromager
In Spanish
Lagenaria siceraria
Ceiba
In Greek
Τσότρα
Ceiba
In Portuguese
Cabaça
Mafumeira
In Polish
Tykwa pospolita
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
In Latin
utrem cucurbita
Ceiba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Malvales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Bombacaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Ceiba
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
-
Number of Species
2710
1
27800
👆🏻