Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
-
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999
5-7
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
A1, A2, 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
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
-
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Palmate
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Indeterminate
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Cut out old flower stalks, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Army-worms, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cucumber mosaic, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Red spider mite
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Foliage Texture
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Attracts
-
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
-
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage
Beauty Benefits
-
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for animals
Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent
Used As Indoor Plant
No
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal
In German
Malabarspinat
Schlangenhaargurke
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Trichosanthes cucumerina
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
snake gourd
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
φίδι κολοκύθα
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
snake gourd
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Gurdlina ogórkowata
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
snake gourd
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cucurbitales
Family
Basellaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Subfamily
-
Papilionoideae
Importance of Malabar Spinach and Snake Gourd
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Malabar Spinach and Snake Gourd. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Malabar Spinach and Snake Gourd 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 Snake Gourd is Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Jaundice, Laxative, Leprosy and Weight loss. Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: while Snake Gourd has beauty benefits as follows: .
Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Snake Gourd
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 Snake Gourd 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 Snake Gourd have Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm and Miscarriage respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Malabar Spinach has showy fruits and Snake Gourd has showy fruits. Also Malabar Spinach is not flowering and Snake Gourd is not flowering . You can compare Malabar Spinach and Snake Gourd facts and facts of other plants too.