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About Taro and Malabar Spinach


About Malabar Spinach and Taro


What is

Life Span
Annual  
Perennial  

Type
Tender Perennial  
Vegetable  

Origin
Southeastern Asia  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Eddoe taro, Dasheen taro  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
200  
34
5  

Habitat
agricultural areas, Hillside, Warm and moist climatic conditions  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
10-11  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12-8  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
30.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
30.00 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
White, Green  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
-  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Red  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green, Ivory  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green, Ivory  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green, Ivory  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green, Ivory  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
V-Shaped  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Indeterminate  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Heat Tolerance, Humidity, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container  
Ground  

How to Plant?
From Rhizomes  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Needs 2-3 times watering per week, Needs a lot of water initially  
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  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
-  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Less fertilizing  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Rats, Snails  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shade areas  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Insignificant  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
-  
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
Bold  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Aphids, Bugs, Snails  
-  

Allergy
Swelling in mouth, Throat itching  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser, Weightloss  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent weeds  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Aging, Laxative, Weight loss  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Leaf Stalks, Leaves  
Leaves  

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

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
ALOCASIA micholitziana  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Elephant Ear, Taro  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
अरवी  
पोई  

In German
Colocasia (Pflanzengattung)  
Malabarspinat  

In French
Colocasia  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
Colocasia  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
Colocasia  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
Colocasia  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Kolokazja  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Colocasia  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Liliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Arales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Araceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Alocasia  
Basella  

Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
Colocasiodeae  
-  

Subfamily
Aroideae  
-  

Number of Species
10  
99+
60  

Summary >>
<< Classification

Properties of Taro and Malabar Spinach

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

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Season and Care of Taro and Malabar Spinach

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

Taro and Malabar Spinach Physical Information

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

Care of Taro and Malabar Spinach

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