Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrubs, Spurge
Origin
Mexico, Central America
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa
Types
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa
Number of Varieties
7170
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hillside
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-15-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-3
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
610.00 cm200.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.00 cm400.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Green
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Irregular
Palmately Lobed
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
All year
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Dry, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Slightly Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
All year
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Dry Conditions
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Needs less watering, Water occasionally
In Summer
Lots of watering
Drought Tolerant, Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust
Plant Tolerance
Dry Conditions
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance
Flowers
Insignificant
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flying insects
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies
Allergy
-
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Farmland
-
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
Good for skin and hair, Removes pimples, Skin inflammation, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
SECHIUM edule
JATROPHA
Common Name
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL
In Hindi
Chayote
रतनजोत
In German
Chayote
Purgiernuß
In French
Chayote
purghère
In Spanish
Chayote
frailejón
In Greek
Chayote
jatropha
In Portuguese
chuchu
galamaluco
In Polish
Chayote
jatrofa
In Latin
chayote
Jatropha
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Euphorbiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Sechium
Jatropha
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Dicotyledonous
Tribe
Sicyeae
Jatropheae
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
5170
1
27800
👆🏻