Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Mexico
Types
-
Cephalocereus senilis
Number of Varieties
-1
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
Dry areas, Forest margins, gardens, Semi arid regions, Semi desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-711-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
12-10
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, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Narrow Upright/Fastigiate
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm460.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Yellow, Dark Green
Light Pink
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
White
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
White
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
White
Leaf Color in Winter
-
White
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Funnel shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting, Vegetative Reproduction
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
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
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
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
-
Allergy
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
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
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Bulbs, Hair
Other Uses
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Hair is used in making sweaters, Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
CEPHALOCEREUS senilis
Common Name
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
Bunny Cactus
White Persian Cat cactus
In Hindi
चिचिण्डा
ओल्ड मैन कैक्टस
In German
Schlangenhaargurke
Old Man Cactus
In French
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Old Man Cactus
In Spanish
snake gourd
Viejo Cactus
In Greek
φίδι κολοκύθα
Γέρος Cactus
In Portuguese
snake gourd
Old Man Cactus
In Polish
Gurdlina ogórkowata
Stary Cactus
In Latin
snake gourd
Senem Cactus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Cucurbitales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Coccinia
Cephalocereus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Pachycereeae
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Cactoideae
Number of Species
27200
1
27800
👆🏻