Home
Garden Plants


About Malabar Spinach and Carambola


About Carambola and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Fruit  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
Southeastern Asia  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Starfruit  

Number of Varieties
5  
2  

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

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
10-14  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
11-5  

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, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Arching/Fountain-shaped  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
610.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
610.00 cm  
34

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Pink, Rose, Violet  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
Yellow, Orange, Light Yellow, Lemon yellow, Yellow green, Gold  

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  
Light Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Oblovate  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Slow  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Average  

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

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Frost  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
Seedlings, Stem Planting  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Low  

Watering Plants
  
  

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

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Average  

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

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
Fertilize every year  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Red blotch  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
Yes  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
Yes  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
Yes  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
-  
Birds, Butterflies  

Allergy
-  
Kidney Stone  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification, Food for birds, Food for insects, Nesting sites for birds, Prevent Soil Erosion  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  
Anti-oxidant, Antioxidants, High blood pressure, Nutrients  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Fruits, Seeds  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used As Food, 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  
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Tropical  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
AVERRHOA carambola  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Carambola, Starfruit  

In Hindi
पोई  
carambola पेड़  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Sternfrucht Baum  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
arbre carambole  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
árbol de carambola  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
carambola δέντρο  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
árvore de carambola  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
karambola drzewo  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
carambola ligno  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Oxalidales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Oxalidaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Averrhoa  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
180  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Malabar Spinach and Carambola

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

Compare List of Vegetables

Season and Care of Malabar Spinach and Carambola

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

Malabar Spinach and Carambola Physical Information

Malabar Spinach and Carambola physical information is very important for comparison. Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm whereas Carambola height is 610.00 cm and width 610.00 cm. The color specification of Malabar Spinach and Carambola are as follows:

Care of Malabar Spinach and Carambola

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