Life Span
Biennial
Perennial
Origin
South-Eastern Asia, Southeastern Asia, China
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Purple Orchid Tree, White Orchid Tree, Bidi leaf tree
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Habitat
Forests, Mountain Slopes, Valley
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-13
-9999
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 9, 10, 11, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23
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
Flower Color
Light Pink, Magenta, Violet
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Green, Sandy Brown
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Gray Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Gray Green, Yellow green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Gray Green, Yellow green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Shape
Butterfly shaped
Heart-shaped
Plant Season
Spring, Summer
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Spring
-
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Budding, Grafting, Seedlings
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Keep the ground moist but not water-logged, Water Deeply
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
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Apply N-P-K
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Red blotch
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Environmental Uses
Air purification, Nesting sites for birds, Shadow Tree
Air purification
Medicinal Uses
Carminative, Laxative
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Buds, Flowers, Leaves, Root, Seeds, Stem
Leaves
Other Uses
Fibre, Gum, Used as a dye
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
No
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
BAUHINIA purpurea
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Butterfly Tree, Orchid Tree
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
Butterfly tree
पोई
In German
Schmetterlings- Baum
Malabarspinat
In French
arbre de papillon
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
árbol de la mariposa
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
δέντρο πεταλούδα
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
árvore borboleta
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
drzewo Butterfly
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
Gloria ligno
Spinach Malabar
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Fabales
Caryophyllales
Family
Fabaceae
Basellaceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Subfamily
Caesalpinioideae
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Importance of Butterfly Tree and Malabar Spinach
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Butterfly Tree and Malabar Spinach. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Butterfly Tree and Malabar Spinach as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Butterfly Tree is Carminative and Laxative whereas of Malabar Spinach is Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Butterfly Tree has beauty benefits as follows: while Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: .
Compare Facts of Butterfly Tree vs Malabar Spinach
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Butterfly Tree vs Malabar Spinach and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Butterfly Tree are whereas of Malabar Spinach have respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Butterfly Tree has no showy fruits and Malabar Spinach has showy fruits. Also Butterfly Tree is not flowering and Malabar Spinach is not flowering . You can compare Butterfly Tree and Malabar Spinach facts and facts of other plants too.