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About Cereus and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Cereus


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Cactus or Succulent, Perennial  
Vegetable  

Origin
North America, Central America, South America  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
princess of the night, Honolulu queen  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
20  
99+
5  

Habitat
Desert, Semi desert  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
9-14  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12 - 10  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 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
Narrow Upright/Fastigiate  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
250.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
40.00 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Light Pink, White  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Pink, Purple, Salmon, Violet  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Succulent  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
Yes  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Fall, Spring, Summer, 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
Acidic, Alkaline, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Late Spring, Spring  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

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

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do not let dry out between waterings, Do Not over Water, Never Over-water, Requires consistently moist soil, Requires regular watering  
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  

In Summer
Lots of watering  
Average Water  

In Spring
Average Water  
Moderate  

In Winter
Less Watering  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Acidic, Alkaline, Neutral  
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
Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
fertilize every 2-3 weeks while growing  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Scale  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Yes  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
Yes  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Bold  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Birds  
-  

Allergy
Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
Improve hair condition, Improve skin condition  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, cholesterol-lowering, Fever, Heart problems, Itching, Menstrual Disorders, Rheumatism, Treat Parasitic Intestinal Worms  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Stem  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Decoration Purposes, Economic Purpose, Employed in herbal medicine, Medicinal oil, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
Yes  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
CEREUS  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Night blooming cereus  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
cereus  
पोई  

In German
cereus  
Malabarspinat  

In French
cereus  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
cereus  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
cereus  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
cereus  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
cereus  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
cereus  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Tracheophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Cactaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Selenicereus  
Basella  

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

Tribe
Hylocereeae  
-  

Subfamily
Cactoideae  
-  

Number of Species
33  
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Cereus and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Cereus and Malabar Spinach

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

Cereus and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Cereus and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Cereus height is 250.00 cm and width 40.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Cereus and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Cereus and Malabar Spinach

Care of Cereus and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Cereus pruning is done Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches and Remove dead leaves and Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves. In summer Cereus needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Less Watering. Whereas, in summer Malabar Spinach needs Average Water and in winter, it needs Average Water.

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