Taxon: Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.

• the 167 historical accession(s) associated with this name.
• Check PlantSearch database of Botanic Gardens Conservation International for possible non-NPGS germplasm.

See also subordinate taxa:

• Sechium edule subsp. edule (no accessions)
• Sechium edule subsp. sylvestre (no accessions)

Common names:

• chayote   (Source: World Econ Pl ) – English
  
• cho-cho   (Source: Dict Rehm ) – English
  
• christophine   (Source: Dict Rehm ) – English
  
• vegetable-pear   (Source: Pl Res SEAs ) – English
  
• fo shou gua   (Source: F ChinaEng ) – Transcribed Chinese
  
• chou-chou   (Source: Dict Rehm ) – French
  
• christofine   (Source: Dict Rehm ) – French
  
• Chayote   (Source: Zander Ency ) – German
  
• Stachelgurke   (Source: Zander Ency ) – German
  
• hayato-uri   (Source: F Japan ) – Japanese Rōmaji
  
• chuchu   (Source: Dict Rehm ) – Portuguese
  
• machiche-francês   (Source: D. Groth, p.c. 2005) – Portuguese (Brazil)
  
• machucho   (Source: D. Groth, p.c. 2005) – Portuguese (Brazil)
  
• xuxú   (Source: D. Groth, p.c. 2005) – Portuguese (Brazil)
  
• chayote de monte   (Source: F Bajio ) – Spanish   [Sechium edule subsp. sylvestre]
  
• chocho   (Source: Dict Rehm ) – Spanish
  
• erizo de monte   (Source: F Bajio ) – Spanish   [Sechium edule subsp. sylvestre]
  
• pipinela   (Source: Dict Rehm ) – Spanish
  
• tallote   (Source: Dict Rehm ) – Spanish
  
• camochayote   (Source: Starch [roots]) – Spanish (Mexico)
  
• chinchayote   (Source: Starch [roots]) – Spanish (Mexico)
  
• cueza   (Source: Starch [roots]) – Spanish (Mexico)
  
• kayote   (Source: Vara kulturvaxt namn ) – Swedish
  

More:

see MMPND for additional names in foreign scripts

Economic importance:

• Human food: fruit   (fruit & tubers used as vegetable fide Biol Cucurb 141, 333. 1990)
  
• Human food: vegetable   (fruit & tubers used as vegetable fide Biol Cucurb 141, 333. 1990)
  
• Animal food: fodder   (fide Biol Cucurb 141, 333. 1990)
  
• Medicines: folklore   (fide CRC MedHerbs ed2; Herbs Commerce ed2)
  

More:

View phytochemical or ethnobotanical data from Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases

Distributional range:

• NORTHERN AMERICA
  Southern Mexico: Mexico - Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Veracruz

• widely cultivated in tropics

References:

• PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
• Aldén, B., S. Ryman & M. Hjertson. 2009. Våra kulturväxters namn - ursprung och användning. Formas, Stockholm (Handbook on Swedish cultivated and utility plants, their names and origin).
• Cadena-Iñiguez, J. et al. 2008. Infraspecific variation of Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 55:835–847.
• Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs.
• Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
• Gómez-Pompa, A. & V. Sosa, eds. 1978–. Flora de Veracruz.
• Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. [re. Brazilian common names].
• Hackett, C. & J. Carolane. 1982. Edible Horticultural Crops.
• Hernandez-Uribe, J. P. et al. 2011. Isolation and characterization of Mexican chayote tuber (Sechium edule Sw.) starch. Stärke 63:32–41.
• Howard, R. 1974–1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
• Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993–. Flora of Japan.
• Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption.
• Lira Saade, R. 1996. Chayote. Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. In: International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), Promoting the conservation and use of underutilized and neglected crops. 8:1–58.
• Lira, R. et al. 1999. Propuesta de ubicación taxonómica para los chayotes silvestres (Sechium edule, Cucurbitaceae) de México. Acta Bot. Mex. 49:47–61. [this study proposes the recognition of two subspecies, one edule for all cultivated plants, and subsp. sylvestre for wild plants].
• Lira-Saade, R. 1995. Estudios taxonómicos y ecogeográficos de las Cucurbitaceae Latinoamericanas de importancia económica. Syst. Ecogeogr. Stud. Crop Genepools 9:128–134, 152–156. [n=13].
• Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2.
• McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2.
• McVaugh, R. 1983–. Flora Novo-Galiciana.
• Newstrom, L. E. 1990. Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae. 141–149.
• Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
• Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants.
• Siemonsma, J. S. & Kasem Piluek, eds. 1993. Vegetables. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). 8:246.
• Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946–1976. Flora of Guatemala.
• Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994–. Flora of China (English edition).

More:

Search AGRICOLA article citation database for citations referencing Sechium edule.

Search NCBI's Entrez search engine for PubMed citations referencing Sechium edule.

Search Biodiversity Heritage Library for historical publications referencing Sechium edule.

Synonyms:

• Chayota edulis Jacq. [= Sechium edule subsp. edule]
  (previously associated with 140 accessions)
• Sicyos edulis Jacq. [≡ Sechium edule subsp. edule]
  

Check other web resources for Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw.:

• Flora of China: Online version from Harvard University
• TROPICOS: Nomenclatural and Specimen Database of the Missouri Botanical Garden
• Mansfeld: Mansfeld's World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops
• PROTABASE: Plant Resources of Tropical Africa's (PROTA's) online resource
• ePIC: Electronic Plant Information Centre of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• AGRICOLA: Article Citation Database or NAL Catalog of USDA's National Agricultural Library
• Entrez: NCBI's search engine for PubMed citations, GenBank sequences, etc.

Check other web resources for images:

• PlantSystematics.org
• Note: Be advised that their identity may be inaccurate. Proper identification of a plant may require specialized taxonomic knowledge or comparison with properly documented herbarium material.

Abbreviations & symbols in GRIN Taxonomy

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