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Compare Shell Ginger and Snake Gourd


Snake Gourd and Shell Ginger


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Annual  

Type
Tender Perennial  
Vegetable  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Micronesia  
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia  

Types
Variegata Dwarf, Variegata Chinese Beauty  
-  

Number of Varieties
20  
99+
-  

Habitat
Tropical regions  
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
8-15  
5-7  

AHS Heat Zone
12-5  
12-1  

Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
180.00 cm  
99+
60.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
120.00 cm  
99+
90.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
White, Red, Light Pink  
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green  

Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
-  
Yellow, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Spring
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
Lance shaped  
Palmate  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
Summer, Fall  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Full Sun  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Very Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Average  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer  
Indeterminate  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
By dividing rhizomes, tubers  
Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Requires plenty of water during the growing season  
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
  
  

Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Loam, Sand  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Average  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Full Sun  

Pruning
Cut off the flower stalks at the base of the plant, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts  
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts  

Fertilizers
Apply 8-4-6 amount  
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  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
Yes  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
Yes  
Yes  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
Yes  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Coarse  
Coarse  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Matte  

Evergreen
No  
No  

Invasive
No  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
Butterflies  
Bees, Flies, Flying insects  

Allergy
Rash  
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
Good for skin  
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Food for animals  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Antiulcerogenic, Diuretic, Hypotensive  
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Rhizomes  
Fruits, Leaves  

Other Uses
Can be made into a herbal tea, Leaves used for wrapping zongi, Used to flavour noodles, Used to wrap mochi rice cakes  
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent  

Used As Indoor Plant
Yes  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Tropical  
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
ALPINIA zerumbet  
Trichosanthes cucumerina  

Common Name
Shell Ginger  
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal  

In Hindi
Shell Ginger  
चिचिण्डा  

In German
Shell Ginger  
Schlangenhaargurke  

In French
Shell Ginger  
Trichosanthes cucumerina  

In Spanish
Shell jengibre  
snake gourd  

In Greek
Shell Τζίντζερ  
φίδι κολοκύθα  

In Portuguese
Shell Ginger  
snake gourd  

In Polish
Shell Imbir  
Gurdlina ogórkowata  

In Latin
Crusta Ginger  
snake gourd  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Lilopsida  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Zingiberales  
Cucurbitales  

Family
Zingiberaceae  
Cucurbitaceae  

Genus
Alpinia  
Coccinia  

Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots  
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids  

Tribe
Alpinieae  
-  

Subfamily
Alpinioideae  
Papilionoideae  

Number of Species
150  
99+
27  
99+

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Difference Between Shell Ginger and Snake Gourd

If you are confused whether Shell Ginger or Snake Gourd are same, here are some features about those plants to help you choose better. Many people think that these two plants have the same characteristics, but one can see Shell Ginger and Snake Gourd Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Shell Ginger are Apply 8-4-6 amount, whereas for Snake Gourd fertilizers required are Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer and Potassium. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Shell Ginger and Snake Gourd if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

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Importance of Shell Ginger and Snake Gourd

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Shell Ginger and Snake Gourd. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Shell Ginger 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 Shell Ginger is Antiulcerogenic, Diuretic and Hypotensive whereas of Snake Gourd is Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy and Weight loss. Shell Ginger has beauty benefits as follows: Good for skin while Snake Gourd has beauty benefits as follows: Good for skin.

Compare Facts of Shell Ginger 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 Shell Ginger 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 Shell Ginger are Rash 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. Shell Ginger has no showy fruits and Snake Gourd has showy fruits. Also Shell Ginger is not flowering and Snake Gourd is not flowering . You can compare Shell Ginger and Snake Gourd facts and facts of other plants too.

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