Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
South America
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Portulaca grandiflora
Number of Varieties
1050
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
gardens, Roadsides, Waste areas
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99995-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12 - 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
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 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
Prostrate/Trailing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm10.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm20.30 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
-
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
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Needle like
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
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
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Well drained
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, Shearing
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Requires high amount of nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Aphids, Botrytis Blight, Brown Spots, Gray mold, Root rot, Stem rot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Heat Tolerance
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
Single
Semi-Double
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Butterflies
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, Bouquets, Cottage Garden, Ground Cover, Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Skin Problems
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
Depurative, Insect Bites, Liver problems, Snakebite, Swelling
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Flowers, Leaves, Stem, Whole plant
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
Showy Purposes, Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Cottage garden, Edible
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
PORTULACA grandiflora
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Moss Rose, Portulaca, Sundial Scarlet Portulaca
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
Portulaca
In German
Indian Spinat
Portulak
In French
épinards indienne
portulaca
In Spanish
espinaca india
Portulaca
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
Portulaca
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
Portulaca
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
Portulaca
In Latin
Spinach Indian
Portulaca
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Caryophyllales
Family
Basellaceae
Portulacaceae
Genus
Basella
Portulaca
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
51
1
27800
👆🏻