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About Kapok and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Kapok


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Tree  
Vegetable  

Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
10  
99+
5  

Habitat
Tropical regions  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
9-15  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12-7  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
Oval or Rounded  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
1,830.00 cm  
22
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
1,830.00 cm  
7
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Orange Red  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Brown  
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
-  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Palmate  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
Yes  
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
Medium  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Seedlings  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs  
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  

In Summer
Moderate  
Average Water  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
Full Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Pruning
Prune when young, Remove dead branches  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought, Soil Compaction  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
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
Yes  
No  

Foliage Texture
Coarse  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds  
-  

Allergy
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
Ceiba pentandra  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली  
पोई  

In German
Kapok baum  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Fromager  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Ceiba  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Ceiba  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Mafumeira  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Ceiba  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Malvales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Bombacaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Ceiba  
Basella  

Clade
Eudicots, Rosids  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
10  
99+
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Kapok and Malabar Spinach

Wondering what are the properties of Kapok and Malabar Spinach? We provide you with everything About Kapok and Malabar Spinach. Kapok has thorns and Malabar Spinach doesn't have thorns. Also Kapok does not have fragrant flowers. Kapok has allergic reactions like Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress and wheezing and Malabar Spinach has allergic reactions like Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress and wheezing. 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 Kapok and Malabar Spinach and you can choose the plant having best and most benefits.

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Season and Care of Kapok and Malabar Spinach

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

Kapok and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Kapok and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Kapok height is 1,830.00 cm and width 1,830.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Kapok and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Kapok and Malabar Spinach

Care of Kapok and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Kapok pruning is done Prune when young and Remove dead branches and Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves. In summer Kapok needs Moderate 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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