Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Mexico, Central America
Types
-
Cuphea hyssopifolia
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Tropical areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-7
9-15
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, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Cushion/Mound-forming
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
White, Pink, Light Pink, Lavender, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Light Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Dark Green
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Oblong to lance-shaped
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
Indeterminate
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Divison, Layering, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Needs watering once a week, Requires more often in extreme heat
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
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, Partial shade
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Prune if you want to improve plant shape
Fertilizers
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
14-14-14 Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
-
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
Drought
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Butterflies
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
-
Aesthetic Uses
-
Borders, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
-
Environmental Uses
Food for animals
Air purification
Medicinal Uses
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion, Organ Stones
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Flowering Tips, Flowers, Leaves, Shoots, Stem
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
No
Yes
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Foundation, Groundcover, Hanging Basket, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
CUPHEA hyssopifolia
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
False Heather, Mexican Heather, Hawaiian Heather
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
Mexican Heather
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Mexican Heather
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Mexicaine Heather
In Spanish
snake gourd
Heather mexicana
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
Μεξικού Heather
In Portuguese
snake gourd
Mexican Heather
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
Mexican Heather
In Latin
snake gourd
Mexicanus Heather
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Myrtales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Lythraceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Lythroideae
Importance of Snake Gourd and Mexican Heather
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Snake Gourd and Mexican Heather. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Snake Gourd and Mexican Heather 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 Snake Gourd is Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy and Weight loss whereas of Mexican Heather is Dysentry, Eye Infection, Indigestion and Organ Stones. Snake Gourd has beauty benefits as follows: Glowing Skin, Moisturizing and Nourishes scalp while Mexican Heather has beauty benefits as follows: Glowing Skin, Moisturizing and Nourishes scalp.
Compare Facts of Snake Gourd vs Mexican Heather
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 Snake Gourd vs Mexican Heather 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 Snake Gourd are Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm and Miscarriage whereas of Mexican Heather have respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Snake Gourd has showy fruits and Mexican Heather has no showy fruits. Also Snake Gourd is not flowering and Mexican Heather is not flowering . You can compare Snake Gourd and Mexican Heather facts and facts of other plants too.