higuerito
Crescentia linearifolia · Bignoniaceae
higuerito (Crescentia linearifolia) is a perennial shrub in the Bignoniaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.
At a glance
| Type | shrub Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 18 ft USDA |
| Light | full-sun USDA |
| Soil pH | 6–8.5 USDA |
| Flower color | White USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 11 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It needs full sun. Its drought tolerance is rated low. It will not tolerate waterlogged soil — USDA rates its anaerobic tolerance as none. It is recorded on soils from pH 6 to 8.5 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground. Its cold limit is zone 11.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 18 ft, making it a small tree or large shrub.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its active growth period is year round.
What the site needs to provide
USDA records it across sites receiving 20 to 40 inches of annual precipitation. It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 24 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
Seed is the only propagation method USDA lists. Division and cuttings are not listed as options. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated low.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Crescentia
- common calabash tree Crescentia cujete
- higuero de sierra Crescentia portoricensis
Similar role and hardiness
- fragrant dracaena Dracaena fragrans
- Spanish thyme Lippia micromera
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol CRLI5, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage texture, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, Light, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, precipitation max in, precipitation min in, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
Find more plants for your zone with the Plant Finder.