Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Grass
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Africa
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Pennisetum glaucum
Number of Varieties
107
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Sunny Edge, Warmer regions
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
8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm90.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm30.50 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
Brown, Purple, Purplish-black
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
Brown, Cream
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Purple, Dark Green, Burgundy
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Long Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, 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
Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
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
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
Neutral, Alkaline
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 in winter, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
15-0-15, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Alternaria Leaf Spot, eyespot, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Deer resistant, 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
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Aphids, Bees, Birds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
along a porch, deck or patio, Beautification, Informal Hedge, Mixed Border, Showy Purposes, Wild gardens
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Branch, Flowering Tips, Whole plant
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
Beneficial species for attracting pollinators, repels deer
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Bedding Plant, Container, Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Mixed Border
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
PENNISETUM glaucum 'purple millet'
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Millet, Pearl Millet
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
purple millet
In German
Indian Spinat
purple millet
In French
épinards indienne
millet pourpre
In Spanish
espinaca india
purple millet
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
purple millet
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
purple millet
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
purple millet
In Latin
Spinach Indian
purple millet
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cyperales
Family
Basellaceae
Poaceae
Genus
Basella
Pennisetum
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
Paniceae
Subfamily
-
Panicoideae
Number of Species
51
1
27800
👆🏻