Life Span
Annual
Annual and Biennials
Type
Ornamental Plants, Shrubs
Vegetable
Origin
Eastern Europe, Western Asia
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Kochia Indica, Neokochia californica
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
1402
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Temperate Regions
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
3-115-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
12-1
Sunset Zone
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
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
Upright/Erect
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
120.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Gray Green, Burgundy, Crimson
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Linear
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Fall
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Stem Cutting, Transplanting
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
occasional watering once established, Requires consistently moist soil
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
In Summer
Moderate
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Less Watering
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Well drained
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Loamy, Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Bright direct sunlight
Full Sun
Pruning
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Remove dead branches
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
Aphids, Mosquito
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Humidity
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
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
Fine
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies, Leaf Hoppers
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Eye irritation, Respiratory problems
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Landscape Designing
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
For treating wrinkles, Making cosmetics, Removes dandruff, Skin cleanser
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Provides ground cover
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Hypotensive, Obesity
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Fruits
Other Uses
Cattle Fodder, Sauces, Traditional medicine, Used for fragrance, Wood log is used in making fences
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Groundcover
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
BASSIA scoparia
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Burningbush, Kochia
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
Bassia scoparia
लौकी
In German
Besen-Radmelde
Flaschenkürbis
In French
Bassia scoparia
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
Kochia scoparia
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
Bassia scoparia
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
Bassia scoparia
Cabaça
In Polish
Mietelnik żakula
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
Bassia scoparia
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cucurbitales
Family
Chenopodiaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Bassia
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Camphorosmoideae
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
427
1
27800
👆🏻