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About Echinopsis and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Echinopsis


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Cactus or Succulent  
Vegetable  

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

Types
Peanut cactus  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
128  
99+
5  

Habitat
Desert, Sandy 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, 16, 17, 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
Upright/Erect  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
30.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
15.20 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Orange, Rose  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
-  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Green, Orange 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
Succulent  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
Yes  
No  

Season

Plant Season
-  
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
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  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought, Dry soil, Full Sun, Heat Tolerance, Rocky Soil  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

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

Plant Maintenance
Low  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Never Over-water, Water once every two or three weeks, Water when top layer of soil becomes dry  
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  

In Summer
Average Water  
Average Water  

In Spring
Average Water  
Moderate  

In Winter
Less Watering  
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, Partial shade  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

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

Fertilizers
fertilize in growing season, fertilize in summer, Potassium  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Mealybugs, Scale  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought, Dry soil, Full Sun, Heat Tolerance, Rocky Soil  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
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
Hummingbirds  
-  

Allergy
Skin cuts  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for insects, Versatility, Very little waste  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Burns, Heals minor burns, Heart problems, High blood pressure, Wounds  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Decoration Purposes, 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, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
ECHINOPSIS  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Hedgehog Cactus, Sea urchin cactus  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
हाथी कैक्टस  
पोई  

In German
Igel Kaktus  
Malabarspinat  

In French
hérisson cactus  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
cactus de erizo  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
κάκτος σκαντζόχοιρος  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
hedgehog cactus  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
jeż kaktus  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
cactus  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Tracheophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Cactaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Echinopsis  
Basella  

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

Tribe
Trichocereeae  
-  

Subfamily
Cactoideae  
-  

Number of Species
2000  
12
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Echinopsis and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Echinopsis and Malabar Spinach

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

Echinopsis and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Echinopsis and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Echinopsis height is 30.00 cm and width 15.20 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Echinopsis and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Echinopsis and Malabar Spinach

Care of Echinopsis and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Echinopsis pruning is done Remove dead or diseased plant parts and Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves. In summer Echinopsis needs Average Water 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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