Home
Garden Plants


Compare Ribbon Grass and Malabar Spinach


Malabar Spinach and Ribbon Grass


What is

Life Span
Perennial  
Perennial  

Type
Grass  
Vegetable  

Origin
World/Pandemic, Europe  
Southeastern Asia, India  

Types
-  
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach  

Number of Varieties
20  
99+
5  

Habitat
Lake margins, Open areas, Stream side, Wet ground  
Hot climate regions, Humid climates  

USDA Hardiness Zone
4-8  
-9999  

AHS Heat Zone
9 - 3  
12*7  

Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24  
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
Mat-forming  
Vining/Climbing  

Information

Plant Size
  
  

Minimum Height
60.00 cm  
99+
2.40 cm  
99+

Minimum Width
10.00 cm  
24.00 cm  
99+

Plant Color
  
  

Flower Color
Pink, White  
Red, Green, Orange Red  

Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor  
Bicolor  

Fruit Color
-  
White, Ivory  

Leaf Color in Spring
White, Green  
Green, Light Green  

Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green  
Green, Dark Green  

Leaf Color in Fall
White, Green  
Purple, Gray Green  

Leaf Color in Winter
Brown  
Purple, Gray Green  

Shape
  
  

Leaf Shape
Ovate  
Heart-shaped  

Thorns
No  
No  

Season

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

Growing Conditions
  
  

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

Growth Rate
Fast  
Fast  

Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Drainage
Average  
Well drained  

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

Repeat Bloomer
No  
Yes  

Tolerances
Wet Site, Pollution, Salt, Soil Compaction  
Drought  

Care

Where to Plant?
Container, Ground, Pot  
Ground  

How to Plant?
Divison  
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings  

Plant Maintenance
Low  
Medium  

Watering Plants
  
  

Watering Requirements
Reduce watering in winter, 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, Alkaline  
Neutral  

Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand  
Clay, Loam  

Soil Drainage Capacity
Average  
Well drained  

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

Pruning
Prune to stimulate growth  
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves  

Fertilizers
Doesn't require fertilization when grown in rich soil  
Nitrogen  

Pests and Diseases
-  
Aphids  

Plant Tolerance
Pollution, Salt, Soil Compaction, Wet Site  
Drought  

Facts

Flowers
Insignificant  
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
Yes  
Yes  

Showy Bark
No  
No  

Foliage Texture
Medium  
Medium  

Foliage Sheen
Matte  
Glossy  

Evergreen
No  
Yes  

Invasive
Yes  
Sometimes  

Self-Sowing
No  
Yes  

Attracts
Bugs  
-  

Allergy
-  
-  

Benefits

Uses
  
  

Aesthetic Uses
Ground Cover, Showy Purposes  
-  

Beauty Benefits
-  
-  

Edible Uses
No  
Yes  

Environmental Uses
Air purification, Food for insects  
Air purification  

Plant Benefits
  
  

Medicinal Uses
-  
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C  

Part of Plant Used
Whole plant  
Leaves  

Other Uses
Biodiesel  
Used As Food  

Used As Indoor Plant
No  
No  

Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes  
Yes  

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

Scientific Name

Botanical Name
PHALARIS arundinacea var. picta  
BASELLA alba  

Common Name
Canary Reedgrass, Ribbon Grass  
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach  

In Hindi
Ribbon Grass  
पोई  

In German
rohrglanzgras  
Malabarspinat  

In French
roseau  
L’épinard de Malabar  

In Spanish
hierba cinta and pasto cinto  
espinaca de Malabar  

In Greek
κορδέλα Grass  
Malabar Σπανάκι  

In Portuguese
caniço-malhado  
Malabar espinafre  

In Polish
Wstążka Trawa  
Szpinak Malabar  

In Latin
Ribbon Grass  
Spinach Malabar  

Classification

Kingdom
Plantae  
Plantae  

Phylum
Magnoliophyta  
Magnoliophyta  

Class
Liliopsida  
Eudicotyledones  

Order
Cyperales  
Caryophyllales  

Family
Poaceae  
Basellaceae  

Genus
Phalaris  
Basella  

Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots  
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots  

Tribe
-  
-  

Subfamily
-  
-  

Number of Species
200  
99+
60  

What is >>
<< All

Difference Between Ribbon Grass and Malabar Spinach

If you are confused whether Ribbon Grass 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 Ribbon Grass and Malabar Spinach Information and learn more about it. Fertilizers required for proper growth of Ribbon Grass are Doesn't require fertilization when grown in rich soil, whereas for Malabar Spinach fertilizers required are Nitrogen. Hence, one should know the basic difference between Ribbon Grass and Malabar Spinach if you are planning to have them in your garden to enhance its beauty.

<Flowering Plants

Compare Grass Plants

Importance of Ribbon Grass and Malabar Spinach

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

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

Grass Plants

Grass Plants

» More Grass Plants

Compare Grass Plants

» More Compare Grass Plants