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Compare Malabar Spinach and Trefoil


Trefoil and Malabar Spinach


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Vegetable  
Tender Perennial  

Origin
Southeastern Asia, India  
-  

Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  
-  

Number of Varieties
5  
20  
99+

Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  
Lawn, Pastures, stream banks  

USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999  
9-11  

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  
9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  

Habit
Vining/Climbing  
Spreading  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
2.40 cm  
99+
20.30 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
24.00 cm  
99+
60.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red  
Orange, Gold  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
White, Ivory  
-  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green  
Light Green, Sea Green  

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

Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green  
Green, Sea Green, Silver  

Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green  
Light Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped  
Three Lobed  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  
Partial Sun  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Medium  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam  
Loam  

The pH of Soil
Neutral  
Acidic  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Ground  
Container, 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  
Get enough water whenever the 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  

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  
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  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
-  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
Yes  
No  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Fine  

Foliage Sheen
Glossy  
Matte  

Evergreen
Yes  
No  

Invasive
Sometimes  
No  

Self-Sowing
Yes  
No  

Attracts
-  
Butterflies  

Allergy
-  
Irritation to stomach  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
-  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
No  

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  
anti inflammatory, Antispasmodic, Cardiotonic, Carminative, Febrifuge  

Part of Plant Used
Leaves  
Seedpod  

Other Uses
Used As Food  
Used for making green dye  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  
Container, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall, Tropical  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
BASELLA alba  
Lotus corniculatus  

Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  
Trefoil  

In Hindi
पोई  
तिपतिया घास  

In German
Malabarspinat  
Gewöhnlicher Hornklee  

In French
L’épinard de Malabar  
Lotier corniculé  

In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar  
Lotus corniculatus  

In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι  
Trefoil  

In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre  
Lotus corniculatus  

In Polish
Szpinak Malabar  
Komonica zwyczajna  

In Latin
Spinach Malabar  
trefoil  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Tracheophyta  

Class
Eudicotyledones  
Magnoliopsida  

Order
Caryophyllales  
Fabales  

Family
Basellaceae  
Fabaceae  

Genus
Basella  
Lotus  

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

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
60  
300  
99+

What is >>
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Difference Between Malabar Spinach and Trefoil

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

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Importance of Malabar Spinach and Trefoil

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

Compare Facts of Malabar Spinach vs Trefoil

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

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