Home
Garden Plants


Compare Malabar Spinach and Hoodia


Hoodia and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Cactus or Succulent  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
Southern Africa  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Hoodia albispina, Hoodia flava, Hoodia bainii  

Number of Varieties
5  
25  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Desert  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
12-15  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
12-10  

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  
12, 13, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Clump-Forming  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
30.50 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
30.50 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Red, Pink, Tan  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
-  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Blue Green, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
-  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Blue Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
Blue Green, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
-  

Thorns
No  
Yes  

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  
Very Slow  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam, Sand  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Spring  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, Ground, Pot  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Low  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  
Water when top layer of soil becomes dry  

In Summer
Average Water  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Average Water  

In Winter
Average Water  
Once a week  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
Acidic, 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  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
No fertilizers needed  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Red blotch  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
No  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
Yes  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Bold  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Matte  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
Flies, Insects  

Allergy
-  
Dry Mouth  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
Weightloss  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Food for insects  

Plant Benefits
  
  

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

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Stem  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Can be made into a herbal tea, Used for its medicinal properties  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
Yes  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  
Container, Houseplant, Rock Garden, Wall  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
Hoodia gordonii  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
ǁhoba, Ghaap  

In Hindi
पोई  
Hoodia  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Hoodia  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Hoodia  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
Hoodia  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
Hoodia  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
Hoodia  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
Hoodia  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Hoodia  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Gentianales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Apocynaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Hoodia  

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

Tribe
-  
Stapeliae  

Subfamily
-  
Asclepiadoideae  

Number of Species
60  
25  
99+

What is >>
<< All

Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Hoodia

If you are confused whether Malabar Spinach or Hoodia 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 Hoodia Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Malabar Spinach are Nitrogen, whereas for Hoodia fertilizers required are No fertilizers needed. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Malabar Spinach and Hoodia 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 Hoodia

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

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Hoodia

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 Hoodia 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 Hoodia have Dry Mouth respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Malabar Spinach has showy fruits and Hoodia has no showy fruits. Also Malabar Spinach is not flowering and Hoodia is not flowering . You can compare Malabar Spinach and Hoodia 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