Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Perennial
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
China, Japan
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Lespedeza davurica, Lespedeza davidii, Lespedeza caraganae
Number of Varieties
1040
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Fields, meadows, Terrestrial
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99995-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
8-1
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
3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Arching/Fountain-shaped
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm243.84 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm243.84 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
Rose, Violet
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
Sandy Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Light Green, Sea Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green, Blue Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Compound
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Divison, Seedlings, Semi-hardwood cuttings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well 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
Prune in early spring, Prune in late winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Apply 12-12-12 amounts
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Red blotch
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Rash, Skin rash
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Flowers
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
Showy Purposes
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Groundcover, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
LESPEDEZA thunbergii
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Thunberg's bushclover, Thunberg's lespedeza, and shrub lespedeza
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
Bush Clover Shrub
In German
Indian Spinat
Bush Clover Strauch
In French
épinards indienne
Bush Clover Arbuste
In Spanish
espinaca india
Bush Clover arbusto
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
Μπους Τριφύλλι θάμνων
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
Trevo de arbusto Arbusto
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
Bush Clover Krzew
In Latin
Spinach Indian
Trifolium Frutex Bush
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Fabales
Family
Basellaceae
Fabaceae
Genus
Basella
Lespedeza
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Desmodieae
Subfamily
-
Faboideae
Number of Species
540
1
27800
👆🏻