Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tender Perennial
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
10480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
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
2.40 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Growth Rate
Fast
-
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
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 water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
In Summer
Lots of watering
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
-
Pruning
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Variety of soil types
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
Medium
-
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
-
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
-
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
Earth Star
In German
Indian Spinat
Erdstern
In French
épinards indienne
Terre étoile
In Spanish
espinaca india
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
Estrela da terra
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
Spinach Indian
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Tracheophyta
Class
-
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Bromeliales
Family
Basellaceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Basella
Cryptanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
550
1
27800
👆🏻