Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Shrub
Fruit
Origin
Europe
Southern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Types
-
Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis
Number of Varieties
301
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds, Waste areas
Well Drained
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-99-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
12-9
Sunset Zone
-
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
40.00 cm370.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm300.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow
White, Purple
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White
Yellow
Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Arrowhead
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer
Early Spring, Spring, Winter, Late Winter, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Budding, Cuttings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering
Keep the Soil well drained, Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Moist
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Prune in spring, Remove branches, Remove branches that rub together, Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, fertilize in spring, fertilize in summer, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Anxiety, Cough, Insomnia, Rheumatism, Wounds
Respiratory Disorders, Soothing and relieving pain
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves
Flowers, Fruits
Other Uses
Showy Purposes
Making Perfumes, Traditional medicine, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
-
Container, Edible, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
LACTUCA serriola
CITRUS medica var. sarcodactylis
Common Name
Compass Plant, Horse Thistle, Prickly Lettuce
Buddha's Hand, Fingered Citron
In Hindi
Prickly Lettuce
Buddha's Hand
Tree
In German
Feigensalat
Buddhas Hand
Baum
In French
laitue scariole
Main de Bouddha
Arbre
In Spanish
lechuga espinosa
Mano de Buda
Árbol
In Greek
φραγκοσυκιές Μαρούλι
Χέρι του Βούδα
Δέντρο
In Portuguese
alface espinhosa
Mão de Buda
Árvore
In Polish
Kolczasta Sałata
Ręka Buddy
Drzewo
In Latin
Opuntia Lactuca
Buddha manus
Arbor
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Asterales
Sapindales
Family
Asteraceae
Rutaceae
Genus
Lactuca
Citrus
Clade
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Cichorieae
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1001
1
27800
👆🏻