Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
Mexico, Central America
South Africa
Types
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
-
Number of Varieties
75
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hillside
Tropical regions, Well Drained, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-157-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-3
10-5
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
21,22
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
610.00 cm45.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
25.00 cm2.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Green
White, Light Pink, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Yellow green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Irregular
Long Narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loamy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Dry Conditions
Dry soil, Shade areas
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Budding, From bulbs
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Medium
Keep ground moist, Never Over-water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
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
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune ocassionally
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
fertilize in fall, Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Bacterial leaf spot, Nematodes, Purple Blotch, Red blotch, Seedcorn maggot
Plant Tolerance
Dry Conditions
Dry soil, Shade areas
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flying insects
Bugs, Flying insects, Insects
Allergy
-
Dermatitis, Pain and fatigue
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Farmland
Showy Purposes, Used in parkland
Beauty Benefits
Good for skin
Acne, For treating wrinkles, Making cosmetics, Removes pimples
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Indoor Air Purification, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
Acne, Aging, Antidepressant, epilepsy, Nerve pain, Obesity, Vomiting
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Bulbs
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Animal Feed, Can be made into a herbal tea, Oil is used in mosquito repellents, Use in Chinese herbology, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Botanical Name
SECHIUM edule
TULBAGHIA violacea
Common Name
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
Society Garlic
In Hindi
Chayote
लहसुन
In German
Chayote
Knoblauch
In French
Chayote
Ail
In Spanish
Chayote
Ajo
In Greek
Chayote
σκόρδο
In Portuguese
chuchu
alho
In Polish
Chayote
czosnek
In Latin
chayote
allium
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Violales
Liliales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Sechium
Allium
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Monocotyledonous
Tribe
Sicyeae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
Lilioideae
Number of Species
5500
1
27800
👆🏻