Home
Garden Plants


About Malabar Spinach and Beardtongue


About Beardtongue and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Flowering Plants  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
South-Central United States  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Penstemon digitalis, Penstemon barbatus, Penstemon heterophyllus  

Number of Varieties
5  
200  
34

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Rocky areas  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
5-8  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
12-1  

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  
No Available  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
30.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
30.50 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
White, Purple  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
-  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Long linear and narrow  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
-  

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Medium  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Late Spring  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
No  

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  
Requires watering in the growing season  

In Summer
Average Water  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Remove damaged leaves  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Red blotch  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
No  

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  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Matte  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
-  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
Hummingbirds, Butterflies  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
No  

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  
-  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Flowers, Leaves  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  
Bedding Plant, Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
PENSTEMON cobaea  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Beardtongue  

In Hindi
पोई  
Beardtongue  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Bartfaden  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
beardtongue  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
beardtongue  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
Beardtongue  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
Beardtongue  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
Beardtongue  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
ursus lingua  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Equisetopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Lamiales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Scrophulariaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Penstemon  

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

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
261  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Malabar Spinach and Beardtongue

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

Compare List of Vegetables

Season and Care of Malabar Spinach and Beardtongue

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

Malabar Spinach and Beardtongue Physical Information

Malabar Spinach and Beardtongue physical information is very important for comparison. Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm whereas Beardtongue height is 30.00 cm and width 30.50 cm. The color specification of Malabar Spinach and Beardtongue are as follows:

Care of Malabar Spinach and Beardtongue

Care of Malabar Spinach and Beardtongue include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves and Beardtongue pruning is done Remove damaged leaves. In summer Malabar Spinach needs Average Water and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer Beardtongue 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