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About Malabar Spinach and Jatropha


About Jatropha and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Shrubs, Spurge  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
Caribbean, Central America, South America, Madagascar, South Africa  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Jatropha bullockii, Jatropha cinerea, Jatropha excisa  

Number of Varieties
5  
170  
40

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Pastures, Roadsides, Warmer regions  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
-  

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  
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Upright/Erect  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
200.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
400.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
White, Yellow, Red, Purple, Pink  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
-  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
Light Green, Lime Green, Yellow, Green, Ivory  

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

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

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Palmately Lobed  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
All year  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun, Partial Sun  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Medium  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Dry, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Slightly Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
All year  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
Seedlings, Transplanting  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Low  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  
Needs less watering, Water occasionally  

In Summer
Average Water  
Drought Tolerant, Average Water  

In Spring
Moderate  
Less Watering  

In Winter
Average Water  
Less Watering  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Bright direct sunlight, Full Sun  

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, No fertilizers needed  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Anthracnose, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Red blotch, Rust  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought, Drought and Salt, Heat Tolerance  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
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  
-  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
-  
Bees, Flying insects, Hoverflies  

Allergy
-  
allergic conjunctivitis, Eye irritation  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
Good for skin and hair, Removes pimples, Skin inflammation, Skin irritation  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Sometimes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification, Insect Repellent, No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Suppresses or replaces native plants, Versatility  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  
anti-allergy, epilepsy, Fever, Skin irritation, Skin Redness  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Leaves, Sap, Seeds, Stem  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Oil is used as fuel, Oil is used in perfume, soaps, creams, etc., Used in biomass  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening, Wind Break, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier, Tropical  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
JATROPHA  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Barbados nut, purging nut, physic nut, or JCL  

In Hindi
पोई  
रतनजोत  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Purgiernuß  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
purghère  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
frailejón  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
jatropha  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
galamaluco  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
jatrofa  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Jatropha  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Euphorbiales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Euphorbiaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Jatropha  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
Dicotyledonous  

Tribe
-  
Jatropheae  

Subfamily
-  
Crotonoideae  

Number of Species
60  
170  
99+

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Malabar Spinach and Jatropha

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

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Season and Care of Malabar Spinach and Jatropha

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

Malabar Spinach and Jatropha Physical Information

Malabar Spinach and Jatropha physical information is very important for comparison. Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm whereas Jatropha height is 200.00 cm and width 400.00 cm. The color specification of Malabar Spinach and Jatropha are as follows:

Care of Malabar Spinach and Jatropha

Care of Malabar Spinach and Jatropha include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves and Jatropha pruning is done Prune for shortening long shoots and Prune if you want to improve plant shape. In summer Malabar Spinach needs Average Water and in winter, it needs Average Water. Whereas, in summer Jatropha needs Drought Tolerant, Average Water and in winter, it needs Less Watering.

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