Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southeastern Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia
Types
-
-
Number of Varieties
-3
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-710-12
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
H2, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm1,370.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm1,520.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green, Gray
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Maple shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Wet Site, Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Water daily during growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Less Watering
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
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 damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
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
Aphids, 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
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Nausea, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
For treating wrinkles, Moisturizing, used as a dye
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals
Air purification, Shadow Tree
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Cramps, Dermatitis
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Bark, Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Can be made into a herbal tea, Making Sweet Scented Oil, Sauces, Used as firewood
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Mixed Border, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
ALEURITES moluccanus
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Candleberry, Candlenut, Kukui
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
Aleurites moluccanus
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Lichtnussbaum
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Aleurites moluccana
In Spanish
snake gourd
Aleurites moluccanus
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
Aleurites moluccanus
In Portuguese
snake gourd
Nogueira-de-iguape
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
Nogueira-de-iguape
In Latin
snake gourd
Aleurites moluccanus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Angiosperms
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Euphorbiales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Euphorbiaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Aleurites
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Aleuritideae
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Crotonoideae
Number of Species
2750
1
27800
👆🏻