Life Span
Annual and Biennials
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Herbs
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
-
Types
Lagenaria siceraria
Ocimum americanum
Number of Varieties
220
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
-
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-79-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-1
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
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
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm30.50 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Tan
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
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
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
Allow soil to be completely dry in between waterings, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
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 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
Downy mildew, Dry root rot, Fusarium wilt, Gray mold, Japanese Beetles
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Aphids, Beetles, Leaf Hoppers, Nematodes
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Hives, Itchiness, Rash, Swelling
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Borders, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
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
Low calories, Manganese, Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin K
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Added to salads, Powdered and mixed with tea, Used in tea, wine and sweet dishes, Used to flavour soups
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Container, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
Lagenaria siceraria
OCIMUM x citriodorum
Common Name
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
Lemon Basil
In Hindi
लौकी
नींबू तुलसी
In German
Flaschenkürbis
Limonenbasilikum
In French
Lagenaria siceraria
citron basilic
In Spanish
Lagenaria siceraria
Ocimum × citriodorum
In Greek
Τσότρα
λεμόνι βασιλικός
In Portuguese
Cabaça
manjericão limão
In Polish
Tykwa pospolita
Bazylia cytrynowa
In Latin
utrem cucurbita
lemon Basilius
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Lamiaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Ocimum
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Asterids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
-
Number of Species
27169
1
27800
👆🏻