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Sicyos edulis
Chayote (Sicyos edulis) is a vigorous climbing vine in the gourd family grown for its pear-shaped, edible fruit, with edible tubers, shoots and leaves too. It grows best where it can climb a fence or wire support and has room to spread, and it needs well-drained soil because the roots rot easily.
Chayote (; previously placed in the obsolete genus Sechium, now in the genus Sicyos, as Sicyos edulis), also known as christophine, mirliton, güisquil, and choko, is an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. This fruit was first cultivated in Mesoamerica between southern Mexico and Honduras, with the most genetic diversity available in both Mexico and Guatemala. It is one among dozens of foods introduced to the Old World during the Columbian Exchange, particularly the galleon trades in Spanish Manila. At that time, the plant spread to other parts of the Americas, ultimately causing it to be integrated into the cuisine of many Latin American nations.
When cooked, chayote is usually handled like summer squash; it is generally lightly cooked to retain the crispy consistency.
Like other members of the gourd family, chayote has a sprawling habit, and requires sufficient room. The roots are also highly susceptible to rot, especially in containers, and the plant in general is finicky to grow. However, in Australia and New Zealand it is an easily grown yard or garden plant, set on a chicken wire support or strung against a fence. In Trinidad and Tobago, it is grown in the mountainous areas strung from wire lines. In Latin America, chayote is widely cultivated. Depending on variety and region, yield reaches from 10 to 115 t/ha.
Although many people are familiar only with the fruit as being edible, the root, stem, seeds and leaves are edible as well. The tubers of the plant are eaten like potatoes and other root vegetables, while the shoots and leaves are often consumed in salads and stir-fries. Tubers are known as "chin-chayote" in central México.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Chayote by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
