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Compare Malabar Spinach and Snake Gourd


Snake Gourd and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Annual  

Type
Vegetable  
Vegetable  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
-  

Number of Varieties
5  
-  

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Loamy soils, Moist Soils, Subtropical climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
5-7  

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  
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  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
60.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
90.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

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  
-  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Palmate  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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  

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  
Keep ground moist, Requires regular watering  

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, 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  

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
-  
Bees, Flies, Flying insects  

Allergy
-  
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm, Miscarriage  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
Glowing Skin, Moisturizing, Nourishes scalp  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Food for animals  

Plant Benefits
  
  

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  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
Trichosanthes cucumerina  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda, padwal  

In Hindi
पोई  
चिचिण्डा  

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  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Cucurbitales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Cucurbitaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Coccinia  

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

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
Papilionoideae  

Number of Species
60  
27  
99+

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Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Snake Gourd

If you are confused whether Malabar Spinach or Snake Gourd 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 Snake Gourd Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Malabar Spinach are Nitrogen, whereas for Snake Gourd fertilizers required are Nitrogen, N-P-K balanced liquid fertilizer and Potassium. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Malabar Spinach and Snake Gourd if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

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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.

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