Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants, Fruits, Herbs, Shrubs
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Australia, South America
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Adams Elderberry, Black Beauty Elderberry, Black Lace Elderberry, Johns Elderberry, Nova Elderberry
Number of Varieties
100
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Farms, Homesteads, Near organic waste disposal
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99994-8
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
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm9.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm8.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
Purple, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Compound
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Early Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Part sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Slightly Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Pollution
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
Requires regular watering, Use Mulches to help prevent water loss during hot and windy weather
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Slightly Acidic
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Part sun
Pruning
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Cut or pinch the stems, No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune in winter, Prune ocassionally, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Canker, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Stem spot, Tomato Ringspot Virus
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
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds
Allergy
-
Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
constipation, Fever, Heart problems, High cholestrol, HIV/AIDS, Nerve pain, swine flu
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Flowers, Fruits
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
-
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
Sambucus nigra
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Elderberry
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
Elderberry
In German
Indian Spinat
Holunderbeere
In French
épinards indienne
Sureau
In Spanish
espinaca india
Saúco
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
Elderberry
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
Sabugueiro
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
Bez czarny
In Latin
Spinach Indian
Elderberry
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Dipsacales
Family
Basellaceae
Adoxaceae
Genus
Basella
Sambucus
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
530
1
27800
👆🏻