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About Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Bittersweet


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vines  
Vegetable  

Origin
Africa, South America, Southeast Asia  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Oriental Bittersweet, American Bittersweet  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
50  
99+
5  

Habitat
All sorts of environments  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
9-12  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12-9  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
Oval or Rounded  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
3,050.00 cm  
4
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
1,520.00 cm  
10
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Light Green, Light Yellow, Yellow green  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Light Yellow, Red  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
-  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Round with toothed margin  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Growth Rate
Medium  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Late Winter  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Pollution, Drought, Salt  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not water frequently  
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
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Remove dead branches  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Does not require fertilizer once established  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Leaf rust, Thripes  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought, Sun  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
No  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
Yes  
No  

Foliage Texture
Coarse  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Fruit Bats, Hummingbirds  
-  

Allergy
Chest Pain, Inflammation, Skin rash, Vomiting  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Bouquets  
-  

Beauty Benefits
For treating wrinkles, Skin cleanser  
-  

Edible Uses
No  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Food for birds, Suppresses or replaces native plants  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

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

Part of Plant Used
Seeds  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Application in Handicrafts, Used as a nemiticide, Used for its medicinal properties  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
Celastrus orbiculatus  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Oriental bittersweet, Asian bittersweet  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Asian bittersweet  
पोई  

In German
Rundblättriger Baumwürger  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Asian bittersweet  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Asian bittersweet  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Asian bittersweet  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Asian bittersweet  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Dławisz okrągłolistny  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Asian bittersweet  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Celastrales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Celastraceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Celastrus  
Basella  

Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
Celastroideae  
-  

Number of Species
40  
99+
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach

Wondering what are the properties of Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach? We provide you with everything About Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach. Bittersweet doesn't have thorns and Malabar Spinach doesn't have thorns. Also Bittersweet does not have fragrant flowers. Bittersweet has allergic reactions like Chest Pain, Inflammation, Skin rash and Vomiting and Malabar Spinach has allergic reactions like Chest Pain, Inflammation, Skin rash and Vomiting. 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 Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

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Season and Care of Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach

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

Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Bittersweet height is 3,050.00 cm and width 1,520.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach

Care of Bittersweet and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Bittersweet pruning is done Remove dead branches and Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves. In summer Bittersweet 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.

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