Home
Garden Plants


About Malabar Spinach and Banana Tree


About Banana Tree and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Flowering Plants, Fruits, Herbs  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
Australia, Tropical Indomalaya  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Cavendish Bananas, Lady Finger Bananas, Pisang Raja, Williams Bananas, Cooking Bananas  

Number of Varieties
5  
1000  
14

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Subtropical climates, Tropical rainforest, Tropical regions  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
8-15  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
12-6  

Sunset Zone
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  
H1, H2, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Upright/Erect  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
16.08 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
7.87 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Burgandy, Ivory, Purple, White, Yellow  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
-  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
Red, Yellow, Yellow Brown, Yellow green  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Cone shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Clay, Loamy  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Neutral, Slightly Acidic  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Early Fall, Early Summer, Late Spring, Late Summer, Summer  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
-  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
From bulbs  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  
Allow soil to be completely dry in between waterings, It cannot sustain wet-feet, Requires regular watering, Water every two or three days during warmer months  

In Summer
Average Water  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
Neutral, Slightly Acidic  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
Clay, Loamy  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Prune after harvesting, Remove dead or diseased plant parts  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Anthracnose, Banana aphid, Banana mosaic, Black sigatoka, Bunchy top, Cigar end rot, Coconut scale, Moko disease, Panama disease, Rhizome rot, Yellow sigatoka  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Yes  

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
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Bold  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
Yes  
Yes  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
-  

Allergy
-  
Anaphylaxis, Mouth itching, Throat itching  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  
Anemia, Antioxidants, Bronchitis, Diarrhea, Hangover, Heartburn, High blood pressure, Kidney problems, Menstrual Disorders  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Flowers, Fruits  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Pulp can be used to make rope place mats and other goods, Used As Food, Used in paper industry  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

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

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
Banana Tree  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Banana Tree  

In Hindi
पोई  
केले के पेड़  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Bananenbaum  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Bananier  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
Banano  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
μπανανιά  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
árvore de banana  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
Banana drzewa  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Musa sapientum fixa ligno  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Liliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Zingiberales  

Family
Basellaceae  
-  

Genus
Basella  
Musa  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
Monocotyledonous  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
100  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Malabar Spinach and Banana Tree

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

Compare List of Vegetables

Season and Care of Malabar Spinach and Banana Tree

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

Malabar Spinach and Banana Tree Physical Information

Malabar Spinach and Banana Tree physical information is very important for comparison. Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm whereas Banana Tree height is 16.08 cm and width 7.87 cm. The color specification of Malabar Spinach and Banana Tree are as follows:

Care of Malabar Spinach and Banana Tree

Care of Malabar Spinach and Banana Tree include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves and Banana Tree pruning is done Prune after harvesting and Remove dead or diseased plant parts. In summer Malabar Spinach needs Average Water and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer Banana Tree needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water.

List of Vegetables

List of Vegetables

» More List of Vegetables

Compare List of Vegetables

» More Compare List of Vegetables