Life Span
Perennial
Annual or Biennial
Type
Vegetable
Fruit
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Africa
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Earlibrew, Honey King, Moonshine, Brilliance,Honey Chow
Number of Varieties
105
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Semi arid regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12-4
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, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm20.30 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm150.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
White, Yellow, Salmon
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
Reduce watering once fruit are growing, Requires a lot of watering, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Anthracnose, Aphids, Bacterial fruit blotch, Cucumber beetles, Downy mildew, Southern Bacterial Wilt, Spider mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Medium
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
-
Allergy
-
breathing problems, Cough, cramps, Diarrhea, Itchy eyes, Mouth itching, Nasal Congestion, Throat itching, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
Potassium, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Fruits, Leaves, Root, Seeds
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
Added to salads, Used in tea, wine and sweet dishes, Used to flavour soups
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Edible, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
CUCUMIS melo 'Honey I Dew'
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Honey I Dew Honeydew, Honeydew
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
खरबूज़ा [kharabooza]
In German
Indian Spinat
Honigtau
In French
épinards indienne
Miellat
In Spanish
espinaca india
Gotas de miel
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
πεπόνι μελιτώματος [pepóni melitómatos]
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
melão de Honeydew
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
melon spadzi
In Latin
Spinach Indian
honeydew
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cucurbitales
Family
Basellaceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Basella
Cucumis
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
51
1
27800
👆🏻