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About Elephant Grass and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Elephant Grass


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Grass  
Vegetable  

Origin
Middle Africa  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Perennial Grass  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
15  
99+
5  

Habitat
Floodplains, Forest margins, Tropical regions, waterways, Wet lands, Woodlands  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
7-11  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12 - 1  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 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
Clump-Forming  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
120.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
120.00 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Sandy Brown  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
-  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Purple  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Long Linear  
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
Very Fast  
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
Summer, Late Summer  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Cold climate, Drought, Salt  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Budding, Seedlings  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Low  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering, Water more in summer  
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  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

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

Fertilizers
Nitrogen, organic fertlizers  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Insects, Red blotch  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Drought, Salt  
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
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Fine  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
Yes  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
Birds, Flying insects  
-  

Allergy
Asthma, breathing problems  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification, Amazing growth rate, Food for animals, Food for insects, Prevent Soil Erosion, Shelter for wildlife, Wildlife, Windbreak  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Eye Problems, Headache, Skin Disorders, Wounds  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Food for animals, Used As Food  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
PENNISETUM purpureum 'Prince'  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Elephant Grass  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
हाथी घास  
पोई  

In German
Elefantengras  
Malabarspinat  

In French
l'herbe à éléphant  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
pasto elefante  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
ελέφαντα χόρτο  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
capim-elefante  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
trawa słoniowa  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
elephanti herba  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Liliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Poales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Poaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Pennisetum  
Basella  

Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
Paniceae  
-  

Subfamily
Panicoideae  
-  

Number of Species
1  
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Elephant Grass and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Elephant Grass and Malabar Spinach

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

Elephant Grass and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Elephant Grass and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Elephant Grass height is 120.00 cm and width 120.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Elephant Grass and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Elephant Grass and Malabar Spinach

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