Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Fruit
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Types
-
Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis
Number of Varieties
-1
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Well Drained
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-79-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-9
Sunset Zone
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
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm370.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm300.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
White, Purple
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Yellow
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
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
Keep ground moist, 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
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
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
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, fertilize in spring, fertilize in summer, organic fertlizers
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Asthma
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Respiratory Disorders, Soothing and relieving pain
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Flowers, Fruits
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Making Perfumes, Traditional medicine, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Container, Edible, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
CITRUS medica var. sarcodactylis
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Buddha's Hand, Fingered Citron
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
Buddha's Hand
Tree
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Buddhas Hand
Baum
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Main de Bouddha
Arbre
In Spanish
snake gourd
Mano de Buda
Árbol
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
Χέρι του Βούδα
Δέντρο
In Portuguese
snake gourd
Mão de Buda
Árvore
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
Ręka Buddy
Drzewo
In Latin
snake gourd
Buddha manus
Arbor
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Cucurbitales
Sapindales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Rutaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Citrus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
-
Number of Species
271
1
27800
👆🏻