Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Grass
Origin
Mexico, Central America
China
Types
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Greenstripe Vivax, Moso, Weavers Bamboo, Oldhamii
Number of Varieties
71500
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hillside
Subtropical climates, Wet Woods
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-158-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-3
12 - 8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
610.00 cm1,000.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.00 cm10.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Green
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Irregular
Acicular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Dry Conditions
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Grafting, Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Needs watering once a week, Use Mulches to help prevent water loss during hot and windy weather, Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Do not prune during shooting season, Prune in late summer or fall, Remove damaged leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Black sooty mold, Mealybugs, Mosaic viruses, Powdery mildew, pythogens, Stem rot
Plant Tolerance
Dry Conditions
Drought
Flowers
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, Flying insects
Deers, Rabbits, Rats, Squirrels
Allergy
-
allergic conjunctivitis, Asthma, Inflammation, Throat itching
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Farmland
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Agroforestry, Air purification, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
Clears heat, Cold, fidgeting, Treating fever, Urinary tract problems
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Leaves, Stem
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used in Furniture, Used in paper industry
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Feature Plant, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical
Botanical Name
SECHIUM edule
BAMBUSA oldhamii
Common Name
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
Clumping Bamboo, Giant Timber Bamboo, Oldham's Bamboo
In Hindi
Chayote
Bānsa
In German
Chayote
Bambus
In French
Chayote
Bambou
In Spanish
Chayote
Bambú
In Greek
Chayote
μπαμπού
In Portuguese
chuchu
bambu
In Polish
Chayote
Bambus
In Latin
chayote
Bamboo
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Violales
Poales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Sechium
Bambusa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
-
Tribe
Sicyeae
Bambuseae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
591
1
27800
👆🏻