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About Moonlight cactus and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Moonlight cactus


What is

Life Span
Annual and Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Cactus or Succulent  
Vegetable  

Origin
Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, South America  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Not avilable  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
10  
5  

Habitat
Desert  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
-  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 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
Weeping  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
30.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
4.20 cm  
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Dark Salmon, Sandy Brown, White, Yellow  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Green  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
-  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
-  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
-  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
-  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Succulent  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
Yes  
No  

Season

Plant Season
-  
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Alkaline, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Repeat Bloomer
-  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Grafting, 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
-  
Neutral  

Soil Type
-  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
-  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
-  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Pruning
-  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
-  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Yes  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Semi-Double  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
Yes  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
Yes  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
-  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Bold  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
-  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
-  
-  

Allergy
Itchiness  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Hanging Basket, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
-  
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
Fruits, Nut  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for Landscaping  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
Yes  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Houseplant, Lawns and Turf, Mixed Border, Tropical  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
Selenicereus pteranthus  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Selenicereus, Moonlight cactus  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
moonlight cactus  
पोई  

In German
Selenicereus  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Selenicereus  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Selenicereus  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Selenicereus  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Selenicereus  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Selenicereus  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
moonlight cactus  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Tracheophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Cactaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Selenicereus  
Basella  

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

Tribe
Hylocereeae  
-  

Subfamily
Cactoideae  
-  

Number of Species
1  
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Moonlight cactus and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Moonlight cactus and Malabar Spinach

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

Moonlight cactus and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Moonlight cactus and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Moonlight cactus height is 30.00 cm and width 4.20 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Moonlight cactus and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Moonlight cactus and Malabar Spinach

Care of Moonlight cactus and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Moonlight cactus pruning is done and Malabar Spinach pruning is done Remove damaged leaves and Remove dead leaves. In summer Moonlight cactus 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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