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About Malabar Spinach and Homalomena


About Homalomena and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Tender Perennial  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
-  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
-  

Number of Varieties
5  
120  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
9-12  

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, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
35.60 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
30.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Yellow green  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Green, Purple, Light Green, Burgundy, Silver  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
Green, Purple, Light Green, Burgundy, Silver  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Green, Purple, Light Green, Burgundy, Silver  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
Light Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Medium  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Indeterminate  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, Ground, Pot  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
Divison, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Low  

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  
Acidic, Neutral  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Cut or pinch the stems, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
fertilize every 2-3 weeks while growing  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
-  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Insignificant  

Flower Petal Number
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  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Coarse  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
-  

Allergy
-  
Mouth itching, Throat itching, Toxic  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Cottage Garden, Landscape Designing  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
-  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Indoor Air Purification, Very little waste  

Plant Benefits
  
  

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

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Rhizomes  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Leaves used for wrapping food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
Yes  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

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

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
HOMALOMENA Wallisii  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Homalomena  

In Hindi
पोई  
Homalomena  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Homalomena  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Homalomena  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
Homalomena  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
Homalomena  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
homalomena  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
Homalomena  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Homalomena  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Liliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Arales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Araceae  

Genus
Basella  
Homalomena  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
Angiosperms, Monocots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
122  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Malabar Spinach and Homalomena

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

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Season and Care of Malabar Spinach and Homalomena

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

Malabar Spinach and Homalomena Physical Information

Malabar Spinach and Homalomena physical information is very important for comparison. Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm whereas Homalomena height is 35.60 cm and width 30.00 cm. The color specification of Malabar Spinach and Homalomena are as follows:

Care of Malabar Spinach and Homalomena

Care of Malabar Spinach and Homalomena include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves and Homalomena pruning is done Cut or pinch the stems, 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 Homalomena needs Lots of watering and in winter, it needs Average Water.

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