Sechium

Sechium was a genus of plants now subsumed into the genus Sicyos:^[1] also placed in the tribe Sicyoeae of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. Its best known member was the edible and widely cultivated chayote (now Sicyos edulis).

Sechium
Sechium tacaco
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily:	Cucurbitoideae
Tribe:	Sicyoeae
Genus:	Sechium P.Browne

Species

Several species formerly placed in genus Sechium have now been placed in other genera. Several other species names are unplaced – "names that cannot be accepted, nor can they be put into synonymy".^[2]

Formerly placed here

• Cayaponia amazonica (Poepp. & Endl.) Cogn. (as Sechium amazonicum Poepp. & Endl.)
• Cayaponia peruviana (Poepp. & Endl.) Cogn. (as Sechium peruvianum Poepp. & Endl.)
• Microsechium compositum Donn.Sm. (as Sechium compositum (Donn.Sm.) C.Jeffrey)
• Microsechium hintonii Paul G.Wilson (as Sechium hintonii (Paul G.Wilson) C.Jeffrey)
• Microsechium palmatum (Ser.) Cogn. (as Sechium palmatum Ser.)
• Sicyos edulis (as Sechium edule (Jacq.) Sw. or Sechium americanum Poir.) – chayote or christophene

Unplaced species names

• Sechium chinantlense Lira & F. Chiang
• Sechium mexicanum Lira & M.Nee
• Sechium panamense (Wunderlin) Lira & F.Chiang
• Sechium pittieri (Cogn.) C.Jeffrey
• Sechium tacaco (Pittier) C.Jeffrey
• Sechium talamancensis (Wunderlin) C.Jeffrey
• Sechium venosum (L.D.Gómez) Lira & F.Chiang
• Sechium villosum (Wunderlin) C.Jeffrey