Life Span
Annual and Perennial
Annual
Type
Cactus or Succulent
Vegetable
Origin
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, South America
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Habitat
Desert
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999
5-7
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
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 Shape
Succulent
Palmate
Plant Season
-
Summer, Fall
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
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Grafting, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil Drainage Capacity
-
Well drained
Pruning
-
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
-
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double
Single
Foliage Texture
Bold
Coarse
Attracts
-
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Itchiness
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Aesthetic Uses
Hanging Basket, Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
Environmental Uses
-
Food for animals
Medicinal Uses
-
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Nut
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for Landscaping
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used As Indoor Plant
Yes
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Container, Houseplant, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
Selenicereus pteranthus
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Common Name
Selenicereus, Moonlight cactus
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
In Hindi
moonlight cactus
चिचिण्डा
In German
Selenicereus
Schlangenhaargurke
In French
Selenicereus
Trichosanthes cucumerina
In Spanish
Selenicereus
snake gourd
In Greek
Selenicereus
φίδι κολοκύθα
In Portuguese
Selenicereus
snake gourd
In Polish
Selenicereus
Gurdlina ogórkowata
In Latin
moonlight cactus
snake gourd
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cucurbitales
Family
Cactaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Selenicereus
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Subfamily
Cactoideae
Papilionoideae
Importance of Moonlight cactus and Snake Gourd
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Moonlight cactus and Snake Gourd. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Moonlight cactus and Snake Gourd as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Moonlight cactus is whereas of Snake Gourd is Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy and Weight loss. Moonlight cactus has beauty benefits as follows: while Snake Gourd has beauty benefits as follows: .
Compare Facts of Moonlight cactus vs Snake Gourd
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Moonlight cactus vs Snake Gourd and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Moonlight cactus are Itchiness whereas of Snake Gourd have Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm and Miscarriage respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Moonlight cactus has showy fruits and Snake Gourd has showy fruits. Also Moonlight cactus is flowering and Snake Gourd is not flowering . You can compare Moonlight cactus and Snake Gourd facts and facts of other plants too.