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Compare Malabar Spinach and Rainbow Cactus


Rainbow Cactus and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Cactus, Flowering Plants, Fruits, Houseplant, native plant natural landscaping, Ornamental Plants, Shrub  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
-  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Grafted Gymnocalycium Cultivars, Echinopsis chamaecereus cultivar, Pilosocereus pachycladus, Austrocylindropuntia subulata monstrose  

Number of Varieties
5  
15  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
In desert grasslands, Rocky Mountains, sandy seeps, Semi arid regions  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
-  

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  
7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Upright/Erect  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
7.60 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
5.10 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Lemon yellow, Light Green, Pink, Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
-  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
Purple, Purplish Green  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
-  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green  
-  

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
-  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
-  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Succulent  

Thorns
No  
-  

Season

Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter  
-  

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Full Sun  

Growth Rate
Fast  
-  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
-  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
-  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
-  

Bloom Time
-  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
-  

Tolerances
Drought  
-  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, Ground, Pot  

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  
Needs very little water  

In Summer
Average Water  
Lots of watering  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Neutral  
-  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam  
-  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
-  

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

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Red blotch  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
-  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
-  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
-  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
-  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
-  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
-  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
-  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
-  

Showy Bark
No  
-  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Bold  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
-  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
-  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
-  

Attracts
-  
-  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
Beautification  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Insignificant  

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  
-  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Decoration Purposes  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
Yes  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  
-  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
Echinocereus dasyacanthus  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Texas rainbow cactus, Spiny hedgehog cactus  

In Hindi
पोई  
Echinocereus dasyacanthus  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Echinocereus dasyacanthus  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Echinocereus dasyacanthus  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
Dasyacanthus echinocereus  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
Echinocereus dasyacanthus  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
Echinocereus dasyacanthus  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
Echinocereus dasyacanthus  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Echinocereus dasyacanthus  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Cactaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Echinocereus  

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

Tribe
-  
Pachycereeae  

Subfamily
-  
Cactoideae  

Number of Species
60  
30  

What is >>
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Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Rainbow Cactus

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

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Importance of Malabar Spinach and Rainbow Cactus

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

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Rainbow Cactus

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

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