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Compare Pentas and Malabar Spinach


Malabar Spinach and Pentas


What is

Life Span
Annual and Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Broadleaf Evergreen  
Vegetable  

Origin
Africa, Madagascar  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
Pentas lanceolata, Pentas ledermannii  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
300  
28
5  

Habitat
Moist Soils, Wet ground, Wet lands  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
10-15  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
-  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
21,22  
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  

Habit
-  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
243.84 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
91.44 cm  
99+
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
White, Red, Purple, Pink  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
Tan  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
Green  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Egg-shaped  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun  
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade  

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Loam  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Well drained  
Well drained  

Bloom Time
Indeterminate  
-  

Repeat Bloomer
Yes  
Yes  

Tolerances
Drought  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Rooted stem cutting, Seedlings, Stem Planting  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Low  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering  
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil  

In Summer
Lots of watering  
Average Water  

In Spring
Moderate  
Moderate  

In Winter
Average Water  
Average Water  

Soil
  
  

Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Loam  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Cut or pinch the stems, Pinch Tips, Prune in spring, Prune in summer, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove hanging branches  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Apply 13-13-13 amounts  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
Red blotch  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Drought  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Yes  
Showy  

Flower Petal Number
Single  
Single  

Fruits
  
  

Showy Fruit
No  
Yes  

Edible Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrance
  
  

Fragrant Flower
No  
No  

Fragrant Fruit
No  
No  

Fragrant Leaf
No  
No  

Fragrant Bark/Stem
No  
No  

Showy Foliage
No  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
No  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Butterflies, Hummingbirds  
-  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Beautification, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
Yes  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
Diarrhea, Malaria, Snakebite, To Treat Ascariasis, To Treat Lymphadenitis  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Flowers, Leaves, Root  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
Insignificant  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical  
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine  

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
PENTAS  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Pentas, Star flower, Star cluster  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Pentas plant  
पोई  

In German
Pentas Pflanze  
Malabarspinat  

In French
plante Pentas  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
planta pentas  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
φυτό Pentas  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
planta Pentas  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Pentas roślin  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Pentas herba  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Vascular plant  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Magnoliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Gentianales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Rubiaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Pentas  
Basella  

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

Tribe
Knoxieae  
-  

Subfamily
Rubioideae  
-  

Number of Species
82  
99+
60  

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Difference Between Pentas and Malabar Spinach

If you are confused whether Pentas or Malabar Spinach 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 Pentas and Malabar Spinach Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Pentas are All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer and Apply 13-13-13 amounts, whereas for Malabar Spinach fertilizers required are Nitrogen. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Pentas and Malabar Spinach if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

<Flowering Plants

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Importance of Pentas and Malabar Spinach

Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Pentas and Malabar Spinach. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Pentas and Malabar Spinach 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 Pentas is Diarrhea, Malaria, Snakebite, To Treat Ascariasis and To Treat Lymphadenitis whereas of Malabar Spinach is Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Pentas has beauty benefits as follows: while Malabar Spinach has beauty benefits as follows: .

Compare Facts of Pentas vs Malabar Spinach

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

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