Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Palm or Cycad
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Eastern Africa, Northern Africa, Middle Africa
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Not Available
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Forest edges
USDA Hardiness Zone
Not Available
10-15
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
Not available
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
Ivory
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
Orange
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long Linear
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Not Available
Indeterminate
Tolerances
Drought
Not Available
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Seedlings, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Does not require lot of watering, Use and maintain water-efficient soaker hoses, Use Mulches to help prevent water loss during hot and windy weather, Water in morning to avoid prompting diseases, Water twice a day in the initial period
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Cut or pinch the stems, Prune for shortening long shoots, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Medium
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Attracts
Not Available
Birds
Allergy
Not Available
Asthma
Aesthetic Uses
Not Used For Aesthetic Purpose
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Not Available
Not Available
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
High blood pressure, High cholestrol, Malaria, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Whole plant
Other Uses
Used As Food
Used As Food, Used for producing cooking oil
Used As Indoor Plant
No
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
ELAEIS guineensis
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
African Oil Palm
In Hindi
पोई
अफ्रीकी ऑयल पाम
In German
Malabarspinat
African Oil Palm
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
L'huile de palme africaine
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Aceite de Palma Africana
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
Αφρικανική φοινικέλαιο
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
Óleo de palma Africano
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Afrykański Olej palmowy
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
African Oil Palm
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Not Available
Class
Eudicotyledones
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Arecales
Family
Basellaceae
Arecaceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Not Available
Tribe
Not Available
Cocoeae
Subfamily
Not Available
Arecoideae
Number of Species
Not Available
Not Available
Importance of Malabar Spinach and African Oil Palm
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Malabar Spinach and African Oil Palm. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Malabar Spinach and African Oil Palm 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 Malabar Spinach is Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A and Vitamin C whereas of African Oil Palm is High blood pressure, High cholestrol, Malaria and Weight loss. Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available while African Oil Palm has beauty benefits as follows: Not Available.
Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs African Oil Palm
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 Malabar Spinach vs African Oil Palm 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 Malabar Spinach are Not Available whereas of African Oil Palm have Asthma respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Malabar Spinach has showy fruits and African Oil Palm has showy fruits. Also Malabar Spinach is not flowering and African Oil Palm is not flowering . You can compare Malabar Spinach and African Oil Palm facts and facts of other plants too.