Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Vegetable
Origin
Asia, Europe, North Africa
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
purple moor-grass 'Moorhexe', variegated purple moor-grass
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
205
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Boggy areas, Dry and Young forest Heaths, Lowland
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-8-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
9 - 1
12*7
Sunset Zone
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17
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
Clump-Forming
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
120.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm24.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Dark Purple
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Yellow green, Gold
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Tan
Purple, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Needle like
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Spring, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Divison, Transplanting, Vegetative Reproduction
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Requires regular watering, Water more frequently during periods of extreme drought
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
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
No need to fertilize every year
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Pests and diseases free
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
-
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes, Water gardening
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed
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
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Foundation, Mixed Border
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
Molinia caerulea
BASELLA alba
Common Name
purple moor-grass
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
बैंगनी दलदल घास
पोई
In German
Pfeifengras
Malabarspinat
In French
pourpre lande-grass
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
púrpura amarra-hierba
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
μωβ Moor-γρασίδι
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
purple moor-grass
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
fioletowy Moor-trawa
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
Maurus herba-purpura,
Spinach Malabar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Cyperales
Caryophyllales
Family
Poaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Molinia
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
260
1
27800
👆🏻