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Compare Malabar Spinach and Tea Plant


Tea Plant and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
-  

Type
Vegetable  
Tree  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
China  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
Camellia sinensis var. sinensis Camellia sinensis var. assamica  

Number of Varieties
5  
2  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Hillside, Mountain Slopes, Subtropical climates, Tropical regions  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
7-9  

AHS Heat Zone
12*7  
8-5  

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, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Oval or Rounded  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
300.00 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
300.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
White, Yellow  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
Black  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
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  
Oval  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Partial Sun  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Slow  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Acidic, Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
-  
Fall, Late Fall, Early Winter  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
No  

Tolerances
Drought  
-  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
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, Prefer drip-irrigation instead of Over-head watering, Requires a lot of watering, Water when soil is dry  

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  
Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  
Generally pruned to waist height, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts  

Fertilizers
Nitrogen  
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer  

Pests and Diseases
Aphids  
Caterpillars, Moth, Red blotch  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
-  

Facts

Flowers
Showy  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
No  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

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  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Glossy  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
-  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

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  
Diabetes, High cholestrol, Kidney Stones, Parkinson  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Preferably used as black tea, Used for producing cooking oil, Used in making beverages  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  
Container, Edible, Feature Plant, Foundation, Hedges  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
CAMELLIA sinensis  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Tea, Tea Camellia  

In Hindi
पोई  
चाय के पौधे  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Teepflanze  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
usine de thé  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
planta del té  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
φυτό του τσαγιού  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
planta do chá  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
Herbata roślin  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
Tea herba  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Ericales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Theaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Camellia  

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

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
1  

What is >>
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Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Tea Plant

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

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Importance of Malabar Spinach and Tea Plant

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

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Tea Plant

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

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