Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Biennials
Type
Fruit
Vegetable
Origin
Southern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
12
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Well Drained
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-115-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 8, 9, 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
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
370.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
300.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Purple
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring, Winter, Late Winter, Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Budding, Cuttings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep the Soil well drained, Requires watering in the growing season
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune in spring, Remove branches, Remove branches that rub together, Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, fertilize in spring, fertilize in summer, organic fertlizers
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Asthma
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
-
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Respiratory Disorders, Soothing and relieving pain
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits
Fruits
Other Uses
Making Perfumes, Traditional medicine, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
CITRUS medica var. sarcodactylis
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Buddha's Hand, Fingered Citron
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
Buddha's Hand
Tree
लौकी
In German
Buddhas Hand
Baum
Flaschenkürbis
In French
Main de Bouddha
Arbre
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
Mano de Buda
Árbol
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
Χέρι του Βούδα
Δέντρο
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
Mão de Buda
Árvore
Cabaça
In Polish
Ręka Buddy
Drzewo
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
Buddha manus
Arbor
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Cucurbitales
Family
Rutaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Citrus
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
127
1
27800
👆🏻