Chayote
Sechium edule
Also called Choko, Christophine, Vegetable pear and Mirliton
Garden plant · Herbs, veg & fruitYOU PLANT THE WHOLE FRUIT, on its side, half buried, with the sprouting end up — there is one enormous seed inside and it cannot be taken out. One plant covers a greenhouse, so give it eight feet of wire and expect to prune it.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Hard
- Water
- Every 3 daysKeep it moist — water at the first hint of dryness — don't wait for a dry pot.
- Light
- Full sun, under glass in Britain
- Feed
- Once a fortnight
- Humidity
- Average to high
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 4 m tall · 2 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Central America
Is it safe for pets and people?
No animal-poison authority lists this plant either way.
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Neither authority names Sechium. That is an absence and not a clean bill. The skin of a mature fruit exudes a sap that dries the hands — peel it under water, which is a handling matter and not a toxicity one.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22. Where a source says nothing, we say nothing.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- A rotted fruit and nothing growing. There is ONE enormous seed and it cannot be separated — plant the whole fruit on its side, half buried, sprouting end up.The seed taken out · disorder
- Twenty feet of growth by August and nothing setting. It flowers as the days shorten, so a British crop comes late or not at all — under glass, and start it early.All vine and no fruit · disorder