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About Prickly Lettuce and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Prickly Lettuce


What is

Life Span
Annual  
Perennial  

Type
Shrub  
Vegetable  

Origin
Europe  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
-  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
30  
99+
5  

Habitat
Cultivated Beds, Waste areas  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
6-9  
-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  

Habit
Clump-Forming  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
40.00 cm  
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
30.00 cm  
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Yellow  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Light Green, Gray Green  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green, Gray Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
-  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Light Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Arrowhead  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
-  
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Very Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Average  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Late Spring, Early Summer  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
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
Requires regular watering  
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  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Moist  
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
No  
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
Yes  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
Butterflies  
-  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Anxiety, Cough, Insomnia, Rheumatism, Wounds  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Showy Purposes  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
-  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
LACTUCA serriola  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Compass Plant, Horse Thistle, Prickly Lettuce  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Prickly Lettuce  
पोई  

In German
Feigensalat  
Malabarspinat  

In French
laitue scariole  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
lechuga espinosa  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
φραγκοσυκιές Μαρούλι  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
alface espinhosa  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Kolczasta Sałata  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Opuntia Lactuca  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Asterales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Asteraceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Lactuca  
Basella  

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

Tribe
Cichorieae  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
100  
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Prickly Lettuce and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Prickly Lettuce and Malabar Spinach

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

Prickly Lettuce and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Prickly Lettuce and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Prickly Lettuce height is 40.00 cm and width 30.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Prickly Lettuce and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Prickly Lettuce and Malabar Spinach

Care of Prickly Lettuce and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Prickly Lettuce 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 Prickly Lettuce 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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