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About Crested Iris and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Crested Iris


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Perennial  
Vegetable  

Origin
World, Pandemic, North America, Europe, Africa, Asia  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
-  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
30  
99+
5  

Habitat
Bluffs, Sandy stream banks, Wooded slopes  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
4-10  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
10-1  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6  
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
10.20 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
15.20 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
White, Purple, Lavender, Blue Violet  
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
Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Long Linear  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Medium  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Spring  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground  
Ground  

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

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Medium, Requires watering in the growing season  
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
Clay, 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 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
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Bees, Insects  
-  

Allergy
Skin irritation  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Ground Cover, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Liver problems, Skin Disorders, Treatment of ulcers  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Employed in herbal medicine, Used as a spice  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
Yes  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Cutflower, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
IRIS cristata  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Crested Iris  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
कलगी आइरिस  
पोई  

In German
Crested Iris  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Crested Iris  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Crested Iris  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Crested Iris  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Crested Iris  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Czubaty Iris  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
iubatum Iris  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
-  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Liliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Asparagales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Iridaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Iris  
Basella  

Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
Irideae  
-  

Subfamily
Iridoideae  
-  

Number of Species
210  
99+
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Crested Iris and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Crested Iris and Malabar Spinach

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

Crested Iris and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Crested Iris and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Crested Iris height is 10.20 cm and width 15.20 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Crested Iris and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Crested Iris and Malabar Spinach

Care of Crested Iris and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Crested Iris pruning is done 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 Crested Iris 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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