Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Biennials
Type
Palm or Cycad
Vegetable
Origin
United States, Southeastern United States
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
152
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cold Regions, Subtropical climates
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-105-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-6
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
Clump-Forming
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
180.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Light Yellow, Lavender
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Dark Red, Brown, Sienna
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Drought, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs small amount of water
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
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Prune to control growth, 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, can go long without fertilizers
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
Cold climate, Frost
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Flowers
Insignificant
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
Coarse
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Rabbits, Small mammals
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
drowsiness, Scratches
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
bank hedging, Ornamental use
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
-
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Ethnobotanic
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Frostbite
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Fruits
Other Uses
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
RHAPIDOPHYLLUM hystrix
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Needle Palm, Porcupine plant
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
सुई ताड़
लौकी
In German
Nadel -Palme
Flaschenkürbis
In French
palmier aiguille
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
palmera aguja
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
βελόνα φοίνικα
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
palmeira agulha
Cabaça
In Polish
Igła palma
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
acus palma
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Arecales
Cucurbitales
Family
Arecaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Rhapidophyllum
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Corypheae
-
Subfamily
Coryphoideae
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
1027
1
27800
👆🏻