Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Number of Varieties
1010
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99999-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
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
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm1,830.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm1,830.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
Red, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
Brown
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Spring, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
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
Average Water Needs
In Summer
Lots of watering
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
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
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Soil Compaction
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Leaves, Seeds
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
Ceiba pentandra
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
In German
Indian Spinat
Kapok baum
In French
épinards indienne
Fromager
In Spanish
espinaca india
Ceiba
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
Ceiba
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
Mafumeira
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
In Latin
Spinach Indian
Ceiba
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Malvales
Family
Basellaceae
Bombacaceae
Genus
Basella
Ceiba
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
510
1
27800
👆🏻