Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Biennials
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Southeastern United States, Caribbean, Central America
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
tourist tree, turpentine tree, chaca
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
12
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Riverbanks, Sandy stream banks, Tropical rainforest
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-155-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-10
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 13, 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
Twisted/Contorted
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
460.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
760.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Ivory
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Crimson, Copper
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Compound
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Summer, Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Transplanting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
occasional watering once established
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
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 leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
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
Showy
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Butterflies, Deers, Hummingbirds
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
allergic reaction, Eye irritation, Mouth itching, Vomiting
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Bonsai
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin condition, Making cosmetics, Removes pimples
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Forms dense stands, Nesting sites for birds, soil stabilisation
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, Headache
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Leaves
Fruits
Other Uses
Application in Furniture, Can be made into a herbal tea, Cosmetics
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
BURSERA simaruba
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Gumbo Limbo, Tourist Tree, Turpentine Tree
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
Bursera simaruba
लौकी
In German
Bursera simaruba
Flaschenkürbis
In French
Bursera simaruba
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
Bursera simaruba
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
Bursera simaruba
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
Bursera simaruba
Cabaça
In Polish
Bursera simaruba
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
Bursera simaruba
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Cucurbitales
Family
Burseraceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Bursera
Coccinia
Clade
Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
1027
1
27800
👆🏻