Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Cactus or Succulent
Origin
Central America, Mexico, North America
North America, South America, Brazil
Types
Neck, Really Big Hybrid, Waltham
Peanut cactus
Number of Varieties
5128
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds
Desert, Sandy areas, Semi desert
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-1112-15
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
12, 13, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Prostrate/Trailing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
7.62 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
50.80 cm15.20 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow, Gold
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Orange, Rose
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Peach, Tan
Green, Orange Red
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
-
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Succulent
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
-
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Indeterminate
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Dry soil, Full Sun, Heat Tolerance, Rocky Soil
Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings, Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Prefer drip-irrigation instead of Over-head watering, Requires regular watering
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Never Over-water, Water once every two or three weeks, Water when top layer of soil becomes dry
In Summer
Lots of watering
Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Loam
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, Prune after flowering, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Remove the old foliage
Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Apply 10-10-10 amount, Balanced organic fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer, Nitrogen, Phosphate
fertilize in growing season, fertilize in summer, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Dry root rot, Fusarium leaf spot, Soft scales
Mealybugs, Scale
Plant Tolerance
Full Sun, Shade areas, Shallow soil
Drought, Dry soil, Full Sun, Heat Tolerance, Rocky Soil
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Ants, Bees
Hummingbirds
Allergy
Dermatitis
Skin cuts
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Glowing Skin, Good for skin and hair
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Food for insects, Versatility, Very little waste
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
Burns, Heals minor burns, Heart problems, High blood pressure, Wounds
Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Seeds
Leaves
Other Uses
For making oil, Used As Food
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall
Botanical Name
CUCURBITA pepo 'White Crown of Thorns'
ECHINOPSIS
Common Name
Winter Squash
Hedgehog Cactus, Sea urchin cactus
In Hindi
कोंहड़ा
हाथी कैक्टस
In German
Winter squash
Igel Kaktus
In French
courges d'hiver
hérisson cactus
In Spanish
calabaza de invierno
cactus de erizo
In Greek
σκουός χειμώνα
κάκτος σκαντζόχοιρος
In Portuguese
abóbora
hedgehog cactus
In Polish
dynia
jeż kaktus
In Latin
cucurbita
cactus
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Violales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Cactaceae
Genus
Cucurbita
Echinopsis
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Trichocereeae
Subfamily
Papilionoideae
Cactoideae
Number of Species
272000
1
27800
👆🏻