Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Palm or Cycad
Vegetable
Origin
United States, Southeastern United States
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Habitat
Cold Regions, Subtropical climates
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
6-10
-9999
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
Flower Color
White, Light Yellow, Lavender
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Dark Red, Brown, Sienna
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Heart-shaped
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Sunlight
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Very Slow
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer
-
Tolerances
Wet Site, Drought, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Needs small amount of water
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 pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial Sun, Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, can go long without fertilizers
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Cold climate, Frost
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Attracts
Rabbits, Small mammals
-
Allergy
drowsiness, Scratches
-
Aesthetic Uses
bank hedging, Ornamental use
-
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Ethnobotanic
Air purification
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Frostbite
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves
Other Uses
Application in Handicrafts, Showy Purposes
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
No
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Tropical
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
RHAPIDOPHYLLUM hystrix
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Needle Palm, Porcupine plant
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In German
Nadel -Palme
Malabarspinat
In French
palmier aiguille
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
palmera aguja
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
βελόνα φοίνικα
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
palmeira agulha
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
Igła palma
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
acus palma
Spinach Malabar
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Arecales
Caryophyllales
Family
Arecaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Rhapidophyllum
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Season and Care of Needle Palm and Malabar Spinach
Season and care of Needle Palm and Malabar Spinach is important to know. While considering everything about Needle Palm and Malabar Spinach Care, growing season is an essential factor. Needle Palm season is Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter and Malabar Spinach season is Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter. The type of soil for Needle Palm is Clay, Loam, Sand and for Malabar Spinach is Clay, Loam while the PH of soil for Needle Palm is Acidic, Neutral and for Malabar Spinach is Neutral.
Needle Palm and Malabar Spinach Physical Information
Needle Palm and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Needle Palm height is 180.00 cm and width 180.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Needle Palm and Malabar Spinach are as follows:
Needle Palm flower color: White, Light Yellow and Lavender
Needle Palm leaf color: Green and Dark Green
Malabar Spinach flower color: Red, Green and Orange Red
- Malabar Spinach leaf color: Green and Light Green
Care of Needle Palm and Malabar Spinach
Care of Needle Palm and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Needle Palm pruning is done Prune to control growth, 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 Needle Palm 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.