Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, Melanesia, Australia
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Ficus benjamina
Number of Varieties
10800
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Temperate Regions, tropical environments, Tropical regions
USDA Hardiness Zone
-999910-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12-10
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, 13, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm2,440.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm3,050.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
Yellow, Red, Green, Pink, Orange Red, 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
Elliptic
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Layering
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
Water carefully
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
10-10-10, All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Any balanced general purpose fertilizer, slow-release fertilizers
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Red blotch, Soft scales
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought, Full Sun, Shade areas, Variety of soil types
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
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
-
Birds
Allergy
-
Rhinoconjunctivitis, wheezing
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Bonsai, Cottage Garden
Beauty Benefits
-
Reduce Bruises
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
Antibacterial, Aphrodisiac, Dysentry
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Bark, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
Container
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Feature Plant, Hedges, Houseplant, Screening / Wind Break, Shade Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier, Tropical
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
FICUS benjamina
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Weeping Fig, Benjamin's fig, Ficus tree
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
रो अंजीर
In German
Indian Spinat
Birkenfeige
In French
épinards indienne
figuier pleureur
In Spanish
espinaca india
higo llorón
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
κλάμα σύκο
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
chorando fig
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
płacz rys
In Latin
Spinach Indian
Plorans ficum
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Urticales
Family
Basellaceae
Moraceae
Genus
Basella
Ficus
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
Ficeae
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
5850
1
27800
👆🏻