Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tender Perennial
Origin
Central America, Mexico, North America
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
Neck, Really Big Hybrid, Waltham
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
5480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-11-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-1
-
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
-
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
7.62 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
50.80 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Peach, Tan
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
-
Growth Rate
Very Fast
-
Type of Soil
Loam
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Indeterminate
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Prefer drip-irrigation instead of Over-head watering, Requires regular watering
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
-
Soil Type
Loam
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
-
Pruning
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove the old foliage
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Apply 10-10-10 amount, Balanced organic fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer, Nitrogen, Phosphate
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Dry root rot, Fusarium leaf spot, Soft scales
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Shade areas, Shallow soil
Variety of soil types
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
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Bees
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
Dermatitis
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
Glowing Skin, Good for skin and hair
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antiasthamatic, anti-cancer, Cardiovascular problems, cholesterol-lowering, constipation, Diabetes, Fiber, High blood pressure, High cholestrol, Immunity, Manganese, Obesity, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E
-
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
-
Other Uses
For making oil, Used As Food
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
-
Botanical Name
CUCURBITA pepo 'White Crown of Thorns'
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Winter Squash
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
कोंहड़ा
Earth Star
In German
Winter squash
Erdstern
In French
courges d'hiver
Terre étoile
In Spanish
calabaza de invierno
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
σκουός χειμώνα
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
abóbora
Estrela da terra
In Polish
dynia
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
cucurbita
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Violales
Bromeliales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Cryptanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
2750
1
27800
👆🏻