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About Malabar Spinach and Bread Tree


About Bread Tree and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Biennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Palm or Cycad  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
South Africa  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Alexandria cycad, Encephalartos caffer, Encephalartos concinnus  

Number of Varieties
5  
66  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Riverbanks, Rocky areas, Scrubs  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
9-12  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
12-8  

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, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
290.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
240.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
-  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
Dark Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Pinnate  

Thorns
No  
Yes  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Slow  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Early Summer, Summer  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, Ground, Pot  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  
Needs very little water  

In Summer
Average Water  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Remove crossing or rubbing branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Red blotch  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Insignificant  

Flower Petal Number
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  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
Birds  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification, Shadow Tree, Windbreak  

Plant Benefits
  
  

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

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Leaves, Seeds, Stem  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

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

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
ENCEPHALARTOS altensteinii  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Bread Tree, Prickly Cycad  

In Hindi
पोई  
Bread Tree  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Brotbaum  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Bread Arbre  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
Árbol del pan  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
ψωμί Δέντρο  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
Árvore de pão  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
chleb Drzewo  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
panis ligno  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Equisetopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Cycadales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Cycadaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Encephalartos  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
-  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
66  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Malabar Spinach and Bread Tree

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

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Season and Care of Malabar Spinach and Bread Tree

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

Malabar Spinach and Bread Tree Physical Information

Malabar Spinach and Bread Tree physical information is very important for comparison. Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm whereas Bread Tree height is 290.00 cm and width 240.00 cm. The color specification of Malabar Spinach and Bread Tree are as follows:

Care of Malabar Spinach and Bread Tree

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

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