Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
North America, Mexico, Central America
Southeastern United States, Mexico, Caribbean, Central America
Types
-
Guaiacum officinale
Number of Varieties
203
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
-
Coastal Regions, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Thickets, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
-999910-15
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
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm300.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
90.00 cm370.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Orange
Purple, Violet, Blue Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Yellow
Yellow, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Olive
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Olive
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Olive
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Egg-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Very Slow
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Spring, Late Winter, Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Salt
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Divison
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water frequently
Requires watering in the growing season
In Summer
Lots of watering
Consistently
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
In Winter
Average Water
Moderate
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Prune to stimulate growth
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Fertilize three times a year
Pests and Diseases
Borers, Cucumber beetles, Mealybugs, Powdery mildew
fungus, Mealybugs, Scale, Spider mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Salt
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Skin irritation
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Bark, Sap
Other Uses
Used as a nutritious food item, Used As Food
used for making roof trusses, poles, joists, piles, Used in construction, Used in Furniture
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical
Botanical Name
CUCURBITA pepo 'Papaya Pear'
GUAIACUM sanctum
Common Name
Summer Squash
Holy-wood, Lignum Vitae
In Hindi
summer squash
Lignum Vitae
In German
Sommerkürbis
Lignum Vitae
In French
courges d'été
Lignum Vitae
In Spanish
calabaza de verano
Palo santo
In Greek
καλοκαίρι σκουός
Lignum Vitae
In Portuguese
abobrinha
pau-santo
In Polish
latem squash
Lignum Vitae
In Latin
aestas cucurbitae
lignum Vitae
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Sapindales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Zygophyllaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Guaiacum
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
-
Tribe
Cucurbiteae
-
Subfamily
Cucurbitoideae
-
Number of Species
53
1
27800
👆🏻