Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual and Biennials
Type
Cactus or Succulent
Vegetable
Origin
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, South America
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Not avilable
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
102
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Desert
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99995-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-1
Sunset Zone
7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 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
Weeping
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
4.20 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Dark Salmon, Sandy Brown, White, Yellow
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Succulent
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Alkaline, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Early Summer, Late Spring, Late Winter, Mid Spring
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Grafting, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
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
Soil Type
-
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
-
Well drained
Sun Exposure
-
Full Sun
Pruning
-
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
-
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
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
-
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Itchiness
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Hanging Basket, Showy Purposes
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
-
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
-
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Nut
Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for Landscaping
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Houseplant, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
Selenicereus pteranthus
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Selenicereus, Moonlight cactus
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
moonlight cactus
लौकी
In German
Selenicereus
Flaschenkürbis
In French
Selenicereus
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
Selenicereus
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
Selenicereus
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
Selenicereus
Cabaça
In Polish
Selenicereus
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
moonlight cactus
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cucurbitales
Family
Cactaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Selenicereus
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Hylocereeae
-
Subfamily
Cactoideae
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
127
1
27800
👆🏻