Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Vegetable
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Egypt
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Lactuca sativa
Number of Varieties
510
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Cold Regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
-
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
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Rosette/Stemless
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm510.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm7.60 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Spoon Shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
-
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
-
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
-
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
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
Average Water Needs, Needs Very high moisture
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
-
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
10-10-10, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Aphids, Armyworm, Beetles, Leafminers, Molecrickets, Red blotch, Thripes, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
-
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Aphids, Caterpillar, Snails, Whiteflies
Allergy
-
Food Allergy, Hives, Swollen Lips
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Glowing Skin, Improve skin tone, Skin Problems
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Fiber, Insomnia, Rich in protein
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves, Seeds, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food
Culinary use, Food for animals, Used as a nutritious food item, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Edible, Vegetable
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
Lactuca sativa
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Lettuce
In Hindi
पोई
सलाद
In German
Malabarspinat
Salat
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Salade
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Lechuga
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
Μαρούλι
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
Alface
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Sałata
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
lactuca
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Asterales
Family
Basellaceae
Asteraceae
Genus
Basella
Lactuca
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
Cichorieae
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
60100
1
27800
👆🏻