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About Red Cardinal and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Red Cardinal


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Shrub  
Vegetable  

Origin
United States, Southeastern United States, South-Central United States, Texas, Mexico  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
-  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
2  
5  

Habitat
Cultivated Beds  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
8-11  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
11-7  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
H1, 8, 9, 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
Upright/Erect  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
90.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
60.00 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Magenta, Orange Red  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
-  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Brown, Red  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Blue Green  
Green, Light Green  

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

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

Leaf Color in Winter
-  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Arrowhead  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
Yes  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot  
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
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

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

Fertilizers
Apply 10-10-10 amount  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
-  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
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
Matte  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
Hummingbirds  
-  

Allergy
Toxic  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Borders  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Antiemetic, Diuretic, Purgative, Tonic  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Used as a general tonic, Used as a rat poison, Used as a vegetable  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall, Wildflower  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
ERYTHRINA herbacea  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Red cardinal, Cardinal spear  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Red Cardinal  
पोई  

In German
Red Cardinal  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Cardinal rouge  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Cárdenas  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
κόκκινο Καρδινάλιος  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Cardeal vermelho  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Red Cardinal  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Cardinalis Rubrum  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Fabales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Fabaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Erythrina  
Basella  

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

Tribe
Phaseoleae  
-  

Subfamily
Faboideae  
-  

Number of Species
10  
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Red Cardinal and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Red Cardinal and Malabar Spinach

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

Red Cardinal and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

Red Cardinal and Malabar Spinach physical information is very important for comparison. Red Cardinal height is 90.00 cm and width 60.00 cm whereas Malabar Spinach height is 2.40 cm and width 24.00 cm. The color specification of Red Cardinal and Malabar Spinach are as follows:

Care of Red Cardinal and Malabar Spinach

Care of Red Cardinal and Malabar Spinach include pruning, fertilizers, watering etc. Red Cardinal 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 Red Cardinal 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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