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About Melampodium and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Melampodium


What is

Life Span
Annual  
Perennial  

Type
Perennial  
Vegetable  

Origin
Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Central America  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Perennials  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
40  
99+
5  

Habitat
Desert  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
2-11  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12 - 6  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 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, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Clump-Forming  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
30.50 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
20.30 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Yellow, Gold  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Sandy Brown  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green  
Green, Light Green  

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

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

Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Lobed  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Indeterminate  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Seedlings  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

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

In Summer
Lots of watering  
Average Water  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Well drained  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Red blotch  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
Sometimes  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
Butterflies  
-  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
No  
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  

Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Seeds  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

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

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
MELAMPODIUM divaricatum  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Butter Daisy, Melampodium  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Melampodium  
पोई  

In German
Melmpodiam  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Melmpodiam  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Melmpodiam  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Melmpodiam  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Melmpodiam  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Melmpodiam  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Melmpodiam  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Asterales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Asteraceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Melampodium  
Basella  

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

Tribe
Millerieae  
-  

Subfamily
Asteroideae  
-  

Number of Species
39  
99+
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Melampodium and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Melampodium and Malabar Spinach

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

Melampodium and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Melampodium and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Melampodium height is 30.50 cm and width 20.30 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Melampodium and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Melampodium and Malabar Spinach

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

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