Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Ornamental Plants, Shrubs
Vegetable
Origin
Eastern Europe, Western Asia
Mexico, Central America
Types
Kochia Indica, Neokochia californica
Sechium edule, Mirliton, Vegetable Pear
Number of Varieties
1407
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens, Temperate Regions
Hillside
USDA Hardiness Zone
3-1110-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1
12-3
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
H1, H2, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Upright/Erect
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
120.00 cm610.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm25.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Light Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Gray Green, Burgundy, Crimson
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Linear
Irregular
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Summer
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Dry Conditions
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Stem Cutting, Transplanting
Seedlings, vegetative cuttings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
occasional watering once established, Requires consistently moist soil
Medium
In Summer
Moderate
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Less Watering
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Well drained
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Loamy, Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Bright direct sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Remove dead branches
Remove damaged fruit, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Mosquito
Aphids, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Humidity
Dry Conditions
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, Flying insects
Allergy
Eye irritation, Respiratory problems
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Landscape Designing
Farmland
Beauty Benefits
For treating wrinkles, Making cosmetics, Removes dandruff, Skin cleanser
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Provides ground cover
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Hypotensive, Obesity
Acne, Anti-oxidant, constipation, Thyroid problems
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Stem
Other Uses
Cattle Fodder, Sauces, Traditional medicine, Used for fragrance, Wood log is used in making fences
Culinary use, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Groundcover
Edible, Herb, Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
BASSIA scoparia
SECHIUM edule
Common Name
Burningbush, Kochia
Chayote, Choko, christophene, christophine, cho-cho, pipinola
In Hindi
Bassia scoparia
Chayote
In German
Besen-Radmelde
Chayote
In French
Bassia scoparia
Chayote
In Spanish
Kochia scoparia
Chayote
In Greek
Bassia scoparia
Chayote
In Portuguese
Bassia scoparia
chuchu
In Polish
Mietelnik żakula
Chayote
In Latin
Bassia scoparia
chayote
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Violales
Family
Chenopodiaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Bassia
Sechium
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Sicyeae
Subfamily
Camphorosmoideae
Cucurbitoideae
Number of Species
45
1
27800
👆🏻