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Compare Malabar Spinach and Kaffir Lime


Kaffir Lime and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Fruit  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
Southeastern Asia  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Citrus hystrix  

Number of Varieties
5  
1  

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Deep, gardens, old gardens, Well Drained  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
9-11  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
12-8  

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  
Oval or Rounded  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
180.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
240.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
White  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
Yellow, Green, Yellow green  

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  
Light Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Ovate  

Thorns
No  
Yes  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
Spring, Summer, Fall  

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  
Acidic, Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Spring, Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  
Average Water Needs, Water Deeply  

In Summer
Average Water  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

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, Partial Sun  

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Prune for shortening long shoots, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Thinning  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
Apply N-P-K, can go long without fertilizers  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Armored scales, Fomes root rot, Mites, Red blotch  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Cold climate, Drought, Heat And Humidity  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Insignificant  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
Yes  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
Yes  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
Yes  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
Yes  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
Yes  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
-  
Birds, Butterflies  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Bonsai  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

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  
Blood purifier, Digestion problems, Digestive disorders  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Fruits, Leaves  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Making Shampoo, Used as insect repellent  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  
Container, Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Hedges, Mixed Border  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
CITRUS hystrix  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Kaffir Lime, Makrut  

In Hindi
पोई  
काफ़िर लाइम  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Kaffernlimette  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
combava  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
cafre  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
Καφρός Lime  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
Kaffir Lime  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
kaffir wapno  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Cafres Lime  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Sapindales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Rutaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Citrus  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
400  
99+

What is >>
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Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Kaffir Lime

If you are confused whether Malabar Spinach or Kaffir Lime 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 Kaffir Lime Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Malabar Spinach are Nitrogen, whereas for Kaffir Lime fertilizers required are Apply N-P-K and can go long without fertilizers. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Malabar Spinach and Kaffir Lime if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

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Importance of Malabar Spinach and Kaffir Lime

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Malabar Spinach and Kaffir Lime. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Malabar Spinach and Kaffir Lime 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 Kaffir Lime is Blood purifier, Digestion problems and Digestive disorders. Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: while Kaffir Lime has beauty benefits as follows: .

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Kaffir Lime

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

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