Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Aquatics
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
North America, Europe, Asia
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Lemna minor
Number of Varieties
537
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
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
24.00 cm0.12 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
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
Purple, Gray Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Oblong-lanceolate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
-
Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Cold climate, Salt, Wet Site
Where to Plant?
Ground
In Water
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Plant grows in water
In Summer
Average Water
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, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
-
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
No fertilizers needed
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
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
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Swelling
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
-
Other Uses
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, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Duckmeat, Frog's Buttons, Ivyleaf Duckweed, Star Duckweed
In Hindi
पोई
duckweed
In German
Malabarspinat
Entengrütze
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
lentille d'eau
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Lenteja de agua
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
duckweed
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
lentilha-d'água
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Rzęsa
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
duckweed
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Arales
Family
Basellaceae
Lemnaceae
Genus
Basella
Lemna
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
-
Lemneae
Subfamily
-
Lemnoideae
Number of Species
6038
1
27800
👆🏻