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About Periwinkle and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Periwinkle


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Flowering Plants, Shrubs  
Vegetable  

Origin
Madagascar  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Purple vinca, Vinca, cherry red, strawberry color  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
30  
99+
5  

Habitat
Subtropical climates, Tropical regions  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
4-9  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12-1  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, 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
1.97 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
2.96 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Magenta, Pink, Rose  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
-  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
-  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
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  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Oval  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Partial shade  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Neutral, Slightly Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Fall, Spring, Summer  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought, Pollution, Salt  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Does not require lot of watering, Medium  
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, Slightly Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Prune ocassionally  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Botrytis Blight, Canker, Crown rot, Pythium rot, Root rot  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Yes  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
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  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
Yes  
Yes  

Invasive
Sometimes  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
Butterflies  
-  

Allergy
Intestinal gas, Nausea, Vomiting  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
No  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Chest pain, High blood pressure, Inflammation, Sore throat, Tooth ache, Wounds  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Whole plant  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Decoration Purposes, Showy Purposes, Used as Ornamental plant  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
Yes  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

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

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
Catharanthus roseus  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Madagascar periwinkle or rosy periwinkle  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Periwinkle  
पोई  

In German
Immergrün  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Pervenche  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Bígaro  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
μυρτιά  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Mirta  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Barwinek  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Periwinkle  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Mollusca  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Gastropoda  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Geraniales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Apocynaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Catharanthus  
Basella  

Clade
-  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
8  
99+
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Periwinkle and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Periwinkle and Malabar Spinach

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

Periwinkle and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Periwinkle and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Periwinkle height is 1.97 cm and width 2.96 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Periwinkle and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Periwinkle and Malabar Spinach

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