The chayote plant has climbing
vines and leaves that resemble
those of cucumber. The plant is a
perennial in the tropics, where
stems have tendrils and can grow
50 feet long. The plant produces
separate male and female flowers
that are pollinated by bees. The
light green pear-shaped fruit
contains a single edible seed about
1 or 2 inches long. Fruits of
different varieties range from
almost smooth to deeply ridged, and
from cream-colored to green, and
may or may not be covered with
nonsticking prickles. The mature
fruit is 3 to 8 inches long, weighing
from 8 ounces to more than 1
pound. Chayote was cultivated
centuries ago by the Aztecs and
Mayans of Central America.
Other Names: Merliton, Vegetable Pear, Tao tah (Hmong); hayato uri
(Japanese); fut shau kua, ngow-lai choi, tsai hsio li (Chinese); sayote (Filipino);
xu-xu, trai su (Vietnamese); cho cho (West Indies); mirliton (Louisiana).
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