Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Fern
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
South America, Southern Africa, India, Australia, New Zealand
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
-
Number of Varieties
1030
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Bog Garden, Boggy areas, Swamps
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99998-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12-8
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, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm45.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm60.00 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
Dark 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
Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Odd Pinnate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Shade, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Fall, Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
By dividing rhizomes, tubers
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
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Shade, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Prune for size control
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Flowers
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Aphids, Deers, Scale Insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Borders, Formal Garden, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Whole plant
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Cutflower, Foundation, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
RUMOHRA adiantiformis
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
leatherleaf fern
leathery shieldfern
iron fern
7-weeks-fern
climbing shield fern
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
leatherleaf
In German
Indian Spinat
Leatherleaf
In French
épinards indienne
Leatherleaf
In Spanish
espinaca india
leatherleaf
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
Leatherleaf
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
leatherleaf
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
Leatherleaf
In Latin
Spinach Indian
Leatherleaf
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Tracheophyta
Class
-
Polypodiopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Polypodiales
Family
Basellaceae
Dryopteridaceae
Genus
Basella
Rumohra
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
-
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
550
1
27800
👆🏻