Home
Garden Plants


About Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Big Bluestem


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Grass  
Vegetable  

Origin
North America, United States, Northeastern United States, Mid-Atlantic United States, Southeastern United States, North-Central United States, Central United States, South-Central United States, Southwestern United States, Texas, Canada, Mexico  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
-  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
4  
5  

Habitat
meadows, Prairies, Riverbanks, Roadsides, Woods  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
2-7  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
7 - 1  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  
H1, H2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Clump-Forming  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
38.10 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
152.40 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Purple  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
-  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Blue Green, Burgundy, Bronze  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Tan, Sandy Brown  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Grass like  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Summer, Fall, Winter  
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
-  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Seedlings  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Medium  
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  

In Summer
Lots of watering  
Average Water  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Red blotch  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
-  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Yes  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
Birds, Butterflies  
-  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Ground Cover, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Insignificant  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for animals, Prevent Soil Erosion  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
-  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Stem  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Decoration Purposes, Food for animals  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
Insignificant  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border, Screening / Wind Break, Wildflower  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
ANDROPOGON gerardii  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Big Bluestem, Turkey Foot  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Big Bluestem grass  
पोई  

In German
Große Bartgras  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Barbon de Gérard herbe  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
hierba andropogon grande  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Big BLUESTEM γρασίδι  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Vetiver grande grama  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Big Bluestem trawa  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Big bluestem herba  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Lillosida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Poaceae  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Poaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Andropogon  
Basella  

Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
150  
99+
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach

Wondering what are the properties of Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach? We provide you with everything About Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach. Big Bluestem doesn't have thorns and Malabar Spinach doesn't have thorns. Also Big Bluestem does not have fragrant flowers. Big Bluestem has allergic reactions like and Malabar Spinach has allergic reactions like . Compare all the properties and characteristics of these two plants. Find out which of these plant can be used as indoor plant. If you are interested to decorate your house and garden, find out aesthetic uses, compare them and select the plant which will beautify your surrounding. Along with beautification, try comparing medicinal and edible uses of Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

Compare Grass Plants

Season and Care of Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach

Season and care of Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach is important to know. While considering everything about Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach Care, growing season is an essential factor. Big Bluestem season is Summer, Fall and Winter and Malabar Spinach season is Summer, Fall and Winter. The type of soil for Big Bluestem is Loam, Sand and for Malabar Spinach is Clay, Loam while the PH of soil for Big Bluestem is Neutral, Alkaline and for Malabar Spinach is Neutral.

Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Big Bluestem height is 38.10 cm and width 152.40 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach

Care of Big Bluestem and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Big Bluestem pruning is done Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves and Remove dead or diseased plant parts and Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves. In summer Big Bluestem needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer Malabar Spinach needs Average Water and in winter, it needs Average Water.

Grass Plants

Grass Plants

» More Grass Plants

Compare Grass Plants

» More Compare Grass Plants