Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw., Cucurbitaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 7 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: choyote

Chinese: fo shou gua

English: chayote, cho-cho, christophine, pipinella, vegetable pear

French: chayotte, chou-chou, chouchou, chouchoute, christofine, christophine

Hawaiian: pīpīnola

Other: chayote, choyote

Samoan: soko

Spanish: chocho, pipinela, tallote

Tongan: sioka

Habit:  vine

Description:  "Perennial climber; somewhat resembling the cucumber plant; leaves slightly rough, broadly cordate entire or somewhat angled 10-20 cm long; staminate flowers pale green, in long racemes; pistillate flowers solitary; corolla 12-17 mm broad; ovary 5-grooved; fruit pyriform, containing one seed, pale green to white, in some forms set with soft spines, with a few shallow, narrow, longitudinal grooves, usually slightly bumpy, 7-20 cm long"  (Stone, 1970).

"Stems climbing to 40 ft. high; rootstock tuberous.  Leaf petioles to 6 inches long; blades broadly ovate, to 10 inches x 10 inches, 3- or 5-angled or shallowly lobed, shortly-rough-hairy, base cordate, lobe apexes tapering.  Inflorescences (staminate) to 10 inches long.  Flower corolla ±0.5 inches in diameter, green; pistillate flower stalks ±0.5 inches long.  Fruit pear-shaped, 3-8 inches long, green to white, smooth, furrowed, or sparsely and softly spiny.  Seed large, clinging to flesh, protruding from fruit apex"  (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 269).

Habitat/ecology:  Full sun and ample water.  In the tropics, it does best in cooler climates above 1,000 feet elevation (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 269).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Probably Mexico and Guatemala (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 269).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Fiji Islands	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (p. 686)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Voucher cited: J. Florence 4615 (PAP) De culture assez répandue.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 567)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 179)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 269) Occasionally naturalized
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 269) Occasionally naturalized
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 47) Vouchers cited: Guillaumin & Baumann s.n., MacKee 12126, MacKee 43433 "Envahissant"
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Yuncker, T. G. (1943) (p. 115) Voucher cited: Yuncker 9975 (BISH). Not seen in 1965 per Sykes (1970).
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Palau Islands (main island group)		Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (2010) (p. 26)
Papua New Guinea Bismarck Archipelago	Bismarck Archipelago	introduced invasive cultivated	Peekel, P. G. [translated by E. E. Henty] (1984) (p. 551) Grown as a vegetable, now wild in the Bismarck Archipelago.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 269)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Commonly cultivated in S. China.
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 106)
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 186)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2005) (p. 269)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Cultivé/naturalisé"
French Territory of Mayotte Mayotte Islands	Mayotte Island	introduced cultivated	Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France (2013)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Comments:  Naturalized in La Réunion per Christophe Lavergne, pers. com.

Control:  If you know of control methods for Sechium edule, please let us know.