Home
Garden Plants


About Malabar Spinach and Cereus


About Cereus and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Cactus or Succulent, Perennial  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
North America, Central America, South America  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
princess of the night, Honolulu queen  

Number of Varieties
5  
20  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Desert, Semi desert  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
9-14  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
12 - 10  

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, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Narrow Upright/Fastigiate  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
250.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
40.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Light Pink, White  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
Pink, Purple, Salmon, Violet  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Succulent  

Thorns
No  
Yes  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Acidic, Alkaline, Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Late Spring, Spring  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, Ground, Pot  

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

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  
Average Water Needs, Do not let dry out between waterings, Do Not over Water, Never Over-water, Requires consistently moist soil, Requires regular watering  

In Summer
Average Water  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Average Water  

In Winter
Average Water  
Less Watering  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
Acidic, Alkaline, Neutral  

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  

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
fertilize every 2-3 weeks while growing  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Scale  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Yes  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Semi-Double  

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  
Bold  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Matte  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
Birds  

Allergy
-  
Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Beautification, Landscape Designing, Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
Improve hair condition, Improve skin condition  

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  
Antioxidants, cholesterol-lowering, Fever, Heart problems, Itching, Menstrual Disorders, Rheumatism, Treat Parasitic Intestinal Worms  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Flowers, Stem  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Decoration Purposes, Economic Purpose, Employed in herbal medicine, Medicinal oil, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
Yes  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

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

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
CEREUS  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Night blooming cereus  

In Hindi
पोई  
cereus  

In German
Malabarspinat  
cereus  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
cereus  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
cereus  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
cereus  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
cereus  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
cereus  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
cereus  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Cactaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Selenicereus  

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

Tribe
-  
Hylocereeae  

Subfamily
-  
Cactoideae  

Number of Species
60  
33  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Malabar Spinach and Cereus

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

Compare List of Vegetables

Season and Care of Malabar Spinach and Cereus

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

Malabar Spinach and Cereus Physical Information

Malabar Spinach and Cereus physical information is very important for comparison. Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm whereas Cereus height is 250.00 cm and width 40.00 cm. The color specification of Malabar Spinach and Cereus are as follows:

Care of Malabar Spinach and Cereus

Care of Malabar Spinach and Cereus include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves and Cereus pruning is done Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches and Remove dead leaves. In summer Malabar Spinach needs Average Water and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer Cereus needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Less Watering.

List of Vegetables

List of Vegetables

» More List of Vegetables

Compare List of Vegetables

» More Compare List of Vegetables