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About Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Blue Barrel


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Cactus or Succulent  
Vegetable  

Origin
North America, Southwestern United States, Mexico  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Colville's Barrel Cactus, Long-spined Barrel Cactus, Barrel Cactus  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
29  
99+
5  

Habitat
limestone outcrops, Rocky areas, Semi desert  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
12-15  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12-10  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
12, 13, 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
40.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
13.00 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Yellow, Magenta  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
-  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Pink, Red  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
-  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
-  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
-  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
-  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
-  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
Yes  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Slow  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Seedlings  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Needs good drainage, Needs very little water, Water carefully  
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, Partial Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Pruning
-  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Red blotch  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
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
No  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Bold  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
-  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
-  
-  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Insignificant  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
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
Flowers  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
ECHINOCACTUS horizonthalonius  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Devilshead, Turk's head cactus, Blue barrel cactus, Eagle's claw, Horse maimer, Horse crippler, Visnaga meloncillo  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Blue barrel cactus  
पोई  

In German
Blau Faßkaktus  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Bleu barrel cactus  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
biznaga Azul  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Μπλε βαρέλι κάκτος  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
cacto de tambor azul  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Niebieski baryłkę kaktus  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Blue Cactus  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Cactaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Echinocactus  
Basella  

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

Tribe
Cacteae  
-  

Subfamily
Cactaceae  
-  

Number of Species
29  
99+
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach

Wondering what are the properties of Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach? We provide you with everything About Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach. Blue Barrel has thorns and Malabar Spinach doesn't have thorns. Also Blue Barrel does not have fragrant flowers. Blue Barrel 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 Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

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Season and Care of Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach

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

Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Blue Barrel height is 40.00 cm and width 13.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Blue Barrel and Malabar Spinach

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