Home
Garden Plants


Compare Malabar Spinach and Firecracker Penstemon


Firecracker Penstemon and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Flowering Plants  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
Southwestern United States, California  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
-  

Number of Varieties
5  
40  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Dry areas, meadows  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
4-9  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
9-1  

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  
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
61.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
25.40 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Crimson  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
-  

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  
-  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Oblong  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
Summer  

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
-  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
Seedlings, Stem Planting  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  
Do Not over Water, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, 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  
Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
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  
No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune to stimulate growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove deadheads  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 10-10-10 amount  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Insects  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
No  

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  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Matte  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
Hummingbirds  

Allergy
-  
Asthma  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
No  

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  
Burns, Snakebite, Stomach aliments  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Whole plant  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Used as Ornamental plant  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

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

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
PENSTEMON eatonii  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Firecracker Penstemon  

In Hindi
पोई  
Firecracker penstemon  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Kracher penstemon  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Firecracker penstemon  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
Penstemon del petardo  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
πυροτέχνημα penstemon  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
Penstemon do foguete  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
petarda penstemon  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Firecracker Persicaria  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
-  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
-  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Lamiales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Scrophulariaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Penstemon  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
250  
99+

What is >>
<< All

Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Firecracker Penstemon

If you are confused whether Malabar Spinach or Firecracker Penstemon 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 Firecracker Penstemon Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Malabar Spinach are Nitrogen, whereas for Firecracker Penstemon fertilizers required are All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer and Apply 10-10-10 amount. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Malabar Spinach and Firecracker Penstemon if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

<Flowering Plants

Compare List of Vegetables

Importance of Malabar Spinach and Firecracker Penstemon

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Malabar Spinach and Firecracker Penstemon. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Malabar Spinach and Firecracker Penstemon 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 Firecracker Penstemon is Burns, Snakebite and Stomach aliments. Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: while Firecracker Penstemon has beauty benefits as follows: .

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Firecracker Penstemon

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 Firecracker Penstemon 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 Firecracker Penstemon 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 Firecracker Penstemon has no showy fruits. Also Malabar Spinach is not flowering and Firecracker Penstemon is not flowering . You can compare Malabar Spinach and Firecracker Penstemon facts and facts of other plants too.

List of Vegetables

List of Vegetables

» More List of Vegetables

Compare List of Vegetables

» More Compare List of Vegetables