Home
Garden Plants


Compare Malabar Spinach and Mouse Melon


Mouse Melon and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Annual  

Type
Vegetable  
Vegetable  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
Central America, Mexico  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Slicing, Pickling and burpless  

Number of Varieties
5  
3  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Floodplains, Wet forest  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
7-8  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
12-1  

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  
A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
15.20 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
180.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Yellow, Gold  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
Green  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Green, Dark Green, Yellow green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
-  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Very Fast  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, 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  
Keep ground moist, Requires a lot of watering, Requires regular watering, Requires watering in the growing season  

In Summer
Average Water  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
Loam  

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 after flowering, Remove shoots  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
Compost, organic fertlizers  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Bacteria wilt, Fungal Diseases, fungus, Fusarium wilt, Leaf spot, Striped cucumber beetles  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Cold climate  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
Yes  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
Yes  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
No  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Coarse  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Matte  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
Yes  

Attracts
-  
Ants, Birds, Flying insects, Insects, Rats, Squirrels  

Allergy
-  
Throat itching, Vomiting  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Showy Purposes  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Food for animals, Food for birds  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  
Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation, Rich in Iron  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Fruits, Seeds  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, 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  
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
MELOTHRIA scabra  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Mexican Sour Gherkins, cucamelon  

In Hindi
पोई  
Mousemelon  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Maus Melone  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Mousemelon  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
Mousemelon  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
πεπόνι ποντίκι  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
melão rato  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
mysz melona  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
mouse melon  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Cucurbitales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Cucurbitaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Cucumis  

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

Tribe
-  
Melothrieae  

Subfamily
-  
Cucurbitoideae  

Number of Species
60  
50  

What is >>
<< All

Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Mouse Melon

If you are confused whether Malabar Spinach or Mouse Melon 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 Mouse Melon Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Malabar Spinach are Nitrogen, whereas for Mouse Melon fertilizers required are Compost and organic fertlizers. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Malabar Spinach and Mouse Melon 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 Mouse Melon

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Malabar Spinach and Mouse Melon. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Malabar Spinach and Mouse Melon 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 Mouse Melon is Antioxidants, Combats Stress, Fiber, Improve heart health, Indigestion, Inflammation and Rich in Iron. Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: while Mouse Melon has beauty benefits as follows: .

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Mouse Melon

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 Mouse Melon 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 Mouse Melon have Throat itching and Vomiting respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Malabar Spinach has showy fruits and Mouse Melon has showy fruits. Also Malabar Spinach is not flowering and Mouse Melon is not flowering . You can compare Malabar Spinach and Mouse Melon 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