Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Fruits, Trees
Vegetable
Origin
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tropical Indomalaya
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Feronia limonia, Limonia acidissima
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
15
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
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
Habit
-
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
800.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
900.00 cm24.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Greyish Brown, Light Green
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Gray Green
Purple, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Autumn
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Rich
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Late Fall
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Budding, Layering, root cutting, Seedlings
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water excessively
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
Rich
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune after harvesting, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
for fruiting plants, use high phosphorous content fertilizer
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
-
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
-
Allergy
Gastric
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
Good Cleanser
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
-
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Blood cleanser, Diabetes, Ear ache, Energy, Kidney problems, Liver Protection, Malaria, Respiratory Disorders, Snakebite
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
Leaves
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit Tree
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
Limonia acidissima
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Wood apple, monkey fruit, curd fruit
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
कबिट
पोई
In German
Indischer Holzapfel
Malabarspinat
In French
Kawista
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
Kawista
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
γλυκό ασβέστη
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
Limonia
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
Feronia słoniowa
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
dulcis ad cinerem
Spinach Malabar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Sapindales
Caryophyllales
Family
Rutaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Limonia
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Citreae
-
Subfamily
Aurantioideae
-
Number of Species
160
1
27800
👆🏻