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Compare Malabar Spinach and Leatherleaf


Leatherleaf and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Annual  

Type
Vegetable  
Fern  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
South America, Southern Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
-  

Number of Varieties
5  
30  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Bog Garden, Boggy areas, Swamps  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
8-11  

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, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Upright/Erect  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
45.70 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
60.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
-  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
Dark Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Odd Pinnate  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Medium  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Fall, Spring, Summer  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
-  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  
By dividing rhizomes, tubers  

Plant Maintenance
Medium  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  
Requires regular watering  

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  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Full Shade, Partial shade  

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Prune for size control  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Does not require fertilizer once established  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Shade areas, Variety of soil types  

Facts

Flowers
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  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
Aphids, Deers, Scale Insects  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Borders, Formal Garden, Ground Cover  

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  
-  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Whole plant  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
useful as a ground cover  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  
Container, Cutflower, Foundation, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
RUMOHRA adiantiformis  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
leatherleaf fern leathery shieldfern iron fern 7-weeks-fern climbing shield fern  

In Hindi
पोई  
leatherleaf  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Leatherleaf  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Leatherleaf  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
leatherleaf  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
Leatherleaf  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
leatherleaf  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
Leatherleaf  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Leatherleaf  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Polypodiopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Polypodiales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Dryopteridaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Rumohra  

Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  
-  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
50  

What is >>
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Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Leatherleaf

If you are confused whether Malabar Spinach or Leatherleaf 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 Leatherleaf Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Malabar Spinach are Nitrogen, whereas for Leatherleaf fertilizers required are All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer and Does not require fertilizer once established. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Malabar Spinach and Leatherleaf if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

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Importance of Malabar Spinach and Leatherleaf

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

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Leatherleaf

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 Leatherleaf 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 Leatherleaf have respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Malabar Spinach has showy fruits and Leatherleaf has no showy fruits. Also Malabar Spinach is not flowering and Leatherleaf is not flowering . You can compare Malabar Spinach and Leatherleaf facts and facts of other plants too.

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