Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Aquatics
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
North America, Europe, Asia
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Lemna minor
Number of Varieties
1037
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Lakes, Ponds, sluggish streams and rivers
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99991-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
7-1
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
21,22
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Spreading
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm5.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm0.12 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
Light Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Oblong-lanceolate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Cold climate, Salt, Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
In Water
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
Plant grows in water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Aquatic Plant
In Spring
Moderate
Aquatic Plant
In Winter
Average Water
Aquatic Plant
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
-
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
-
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Insects, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Cold climate, Salt
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Food for insects
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
Swelling
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
-
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Bog Garden, Water Gardens
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
LEMNA trisulca
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Duckmeat, Frog's Buttons, Ivyleaf Duckweed, Star Duckweed
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
duckweed
In German
Indian Spinat
Entengrütze
In French
épinards indienne
lentille d'eau
In Spanish
espinaca india
Lenteja de agua
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
duckweed
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
lentilha-d'água
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
Rzęsa
In Latin
Spinach Indian
duckweed
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Tracheophyta
Class
-
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Arales
Family
Basellaceae
Lemnaceae
Genus
Basella
Lemna
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
-
Lemneae
Subfamily
-
Lemnoideae
Number of Species
538
1
27800
👆🏻