Life Span
Annual
Annual and Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
-
Crossandra, Firecracker Plant
Number of Varieties
-50
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
gardens, Homesteads, Urban areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-710-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
10-9
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, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm40.60 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Orange, Light Yellow, Peach, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
-
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
-
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Ovate
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
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Form a Soil ring to water efficiently, Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water more in summer
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
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
No pruning needed in the early stages, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Insects
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, 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
Cold, Cough, Wounds
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Flowers
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Bedding Plant, Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
CROSSANDRA infundibuliformis
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Firecracker Flower
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
आबोली
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Kracher-Blume
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Firecracker fleur
In Spanish
snake gourd
flor petardo
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
πυροτέχνημα λουλούδι
In Portuguese
snake gourd
flor foguete
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
petarda kwiat
In Latin
snake gourd
flos Firecracker
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Cucurbitales
Lamiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Acanthaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Crossandra
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Brodiaeoideae
Number of Species
275
1
27800
👆🏻