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Malabar Spinach
Malabar Spinach

Barbary Fig
Barbary Fig



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Malabar Spinach
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What is

Life Span

Perennial
Perennial

Type

Vegetable
Cactus or Succulent

Origin

Southeastern Asia, India
Mexico

Types

Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Opuntia ficus-indica

Number of Varieties

58
0 40000
👆🏻

Habitat

Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Desert

USDA Hardiness Zone

-99998-12
0 99
👆🏻

AHS Heat Zone

12*7
12-5

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
H1, H2, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24

Habit

Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect

Information

Plant Size

Minimum Height

2.40 cm240.00 cm
0 3900
👆🏻

Minimum Width

24.00 cm180.00 cm
0 6350
👆🏻

Plant Color

Flower Color

Red, Green, Orange Red
Yellow, Red, Orange

Flower Color Modifier

Bicolor
-

Fruit Color

White, Ivory
Reddish Plum

Leaf Color in Spring

Green, Light Green
Green

Leaf Color in Summer

Green, Dark Green
Green

Leaf Color in Fall

Purple, Gray Green
Green

Leaf Color in Winter

Purple, Gray Green
Green

Shape

Leaf Shape

Heart-shaped
Globe shaped

Thorns

Season

Plant Season

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Growing Conditions

Sunlight

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

Growth Rate

Fast
Medium

Type of Soil

Clay, Loam
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained

The pH of Soil

Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline

Soil Drainage

Well drained
Well drained

Bloom Time

-
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer

Repeat Bloomer

Tolerances

Drought
Drought, Salt

Care

Where to Plant?

Ground
Ground, Pot

How to Plant?

Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings, Transplanting

Plant Maintenance

Medium
Medium

Watering Plants

Watering Requirements

Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Does not require lot of watering, Water once every two or three weeks, Water when soil is dry

In Summer

Average Water
Lots of watering

In Spring

Moderate
Moderate

In Winter

Average Water
Average Water

Soil

Soil pH

Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline

Soil Type

Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand

Soil Drainage Capacity

Well drained
Well drained

Sun Exposure

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

Pruning

Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune ocassionally, Remove dead leaves

Fertilizers

Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer

Pests and Diseases

Aphids
Aphids, Caterpillars, Cochineal insect, Mealybugs, Nematodes, Red spider mite, Rodent, Root rot, Scale, Slugs, Snails, Thripes, Viruses, Worms

Plant Tolerance

Drought
Drought

Facts

Flowers

Showy
Showy

Flower Petal Number

Single
Single

Fruits

Showy Fruit

Edible Fruit

Fragrance

Fragrant Flower

Fragrant Fruit

Fragrant Leaf

Fragrant Bark/Stem

Showy Foliage

Showy Bark

Foliage Texture

Medium
Bold

Foliage Sheen

Glossy
Matte

Evergreen

Invasive

Sometimes
Sometimes

Self-Sowing

Attracts

-
Aphids, Birds, Rodents

Allergy

-
-

Benefits

Uses

Aesthetic Uses

-
Cottage Garden, Showy Purposes

Beauty Benefits

-
Nourishes scalp, Reduce Bruises, Remove blemishes

Edible Uses

Environmental Uses

Air purification
Air purification

Plant Benefits

Medicinal Uses

Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Antioxidants, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Hangover

Part of Plant Used

Leaves
Flowers, Leaves

Other Uses

Used As Food
Biomass for fuel, Employed in herbal medicine, Fine spines and trichomes are used as fiber for weaving, Oil is used for aromatherapy, Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used in construction, Used in Furniture

Used As Indoor Plant

Used As Outdoor Plant

Garden Design

Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Fruit, Fruit Tree, Hedges, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Rock Garden, Wall

Scientific Name

Botanical Name

BASELLA alba
OPUNTIA ficus-indica

Common Name

Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Indian fig opuntia, Barbary fig, cactus pear, spineless cactus

In Hindi

पोई
Opuntia ficus-indica

In German

Malabarspinat
Opuntia ficus-indica

In French

L’épinard de Malabar
Opuntia ficus-indica

In Spanish

espinaca de Malabar
Opuntia ficus-indica

In Greek

Malabar Σπανάκι
Φραγκοσυκιά

In Portuguese

Malabar espinafre
Opuntia ficus-indica

In Polish

Szpinak Malabar
Opuntia ficus-indica

In Latin

Spinach Malabar
Opuntia ficus-indica

Classification

Kingdom

Plantae
Plantae

Phylum

Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta

Class

Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida

Order

Caryophyllales
Caryophyllales

Family

Basellaceae
Cactaceae

Genus

Basella
Opuntia Mill

Clade

Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots

Tribe

-
Opuntieae

Subfamily

-
Opuntioideae

Number of Species

602
1 27800
👆🏻

Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Barbary Fig

If you are confused whether Malabar Spinach or Barbary Fig are same, here are some features about those plants to help you choose better. Many people think that these two plants have the same characteristics, but one can see Malabar Spinach and Barbary Fig Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Malabar Spinach are Nitrogen, whereas for Barbary Fig fertilizers required are All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Malabar Spinach and Barbary Fig if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

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Importance of Malabar Spinach and Barbary Fig

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Malabar Spinach and Barbary Fig. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Malabar Spinach and Barbary Fig 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 Barbary Fig is Antioxidants, Diabetes, Diarrhea and Hangover. Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: while Barbary Fig has beauty benefits as follows: .

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Barbary Fig

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 Barbary Fig 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 whereas of Barbary Fig have respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Malabar Spinach has showy fruits and Barbary Fig has showy fruits. Also Malabar Spinach is not flowering and Barbary Fig is not flowering . You can compare Malabar Spinach and Barbary Fig facts and facts of other plants too.