Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Southern Africa
Types
-
Carissa Carandas
Number of Varieties
-4
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Coastal bush land, Sandy areas
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
H2, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm60.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Hot Pink, Magenta, Purple, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark 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
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Oval to roundish
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
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
Average Water Needs
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, 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
Equal amount of N,P,K
Pests and Diseases
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Aphids
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
Birds
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Mildly Toxic
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
along a porch, deck or patio, Ground Cover, small hedge
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
Iron, Potassium, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Fruits
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Cake, Jam, Jelly, Sauces
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Bedding Plant, Container, Edging, Edible, Foundation, Groundcover, Hedges, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
CARISSA macrocarpa 'Emerald Blanket'
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Large Num-Num
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
नेटाल बेर
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Natal Plum
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
natal Plum
In Spanish
snake gourd
Ciruela Natal
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
Natal Plum
In Portuguese
snake gourd
Natal Plum
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
Natal Plum
In Latin
snake gourd
Natal Plum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Gentianales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Apocynaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Carissa
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Carisseae
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Rauvolfioideae
Number of Species
2720
1
27800
👆🏻