Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants, Shrubs
Origin
Mexico, Central America
South America
Types
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Grandiflora Petunias, Multiflora Petunias, Wave Petunias, Superbell Petunias, Supertunia Petunias
Number of Varieties
7118
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hillside
Terrestrial
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-159-10
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-3
-
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
not provided
Habit
Vining/Climbing
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
610.00 cm5.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.00 cm2.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Green
Blue, Pink, Purple, Red, White, Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Golden Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Irregular
Ovate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loamy, Sandy
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Fall, Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Dry Conditions
Pollution
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season
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
Loam, Sand
Loamy, Sandy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Cut or pinch the stems, Do not prune during shooting season, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Aphids, Bacterial Blight, Caterpillars, Gray mold, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Root rot, Spider mites, Thripes, Verticillium Wilt, Viruses
Plant Tolerance
Dry Conditions
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
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, Flying insects
Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Farmland
Beautification, Bouquets, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Flowers
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging
Botanical Name
SECHIUM edule
Petunia
Common Name
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
Petunia
In Hindi
Chayote
Petunia
In German
Chayote
Petunie
In French
Chayote
Pétunia
In Spanish
Chayote
Petunia
In Greek
Chayote
πετούνια
In Portuguese
chuchu
Petúnia
In Polish
Chayote
Petunia
In Latin
chayote
Petunia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Streptophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Solanales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Solanaceae
Genus
Sechium
Petunia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
Sicyeae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Petunioideae
Number of Species
535
1
27800
👆🏻