Life Span
Annual
Biennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
South-Eastern Asia, Southeastern Asia, China
Types
-
Purple Orchid Tree, White Orchid Tree, Bidi leaf tree
Number of Varieties
-20
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Forests, Mountain Slopes, Valley
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-79-13
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, 9, 10, 11, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm760.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm17.80 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Light Pink, Magenta, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Green, Sandy Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Gray Green, Yellow green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Butterfly shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Budding, Grafting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Average Water Needs, Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Water Deeply
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
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
Remove 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
Apply N-P-K
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
Showy
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Birds
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals
Air purification, Nesting sites for birds, Shadow Tree
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Carminative, Laxative
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Buds, Flowers, Leaves, Root, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Fibre, Gum, Used as a dye
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
BAUHINIA purpurea
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Butterfly Tree, Orchid Tree
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
Butterfly tree
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Schmetterlings- Baum
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
arbre de papillon
In Spanish
snake gourd
árbol de la mariposa
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
δέντρο πεταλούδα
In Portuguese
snake gourd
árvore borboleta
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
drzewo Butterfly
In Latin
snake gourd
Gloria ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Fabales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Fabaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Bauhinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Cercideae
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Caesalpinioideae
Number of Species
27500
1
27800
👆🏻