Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
North-Central United States, Central United States, Western United States, Texas
Types
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Blue Toadflax, Old-Field Toadflax
Number of Varieties
1030
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
gardens
Cultivated Beds
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99993-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
9-1
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
1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 10
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm61.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
20.00 cm25.40 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Pink, Light Pink
Pink, Light Blue, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Purple, Black
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Light Green, Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Dark Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green, Dark Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Round
Oval to egg shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Late Spring, Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Cuttings, Divison, 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, Do Not over Water
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
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
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
use all-purpose fertilizers
Pests and Diseases
Insects, Mites
Foliar disease, Root rot, Spider mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bumblebees
Allergy
-
Depression, High blood cholestrol, Pain
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Astringent
Analgesic, Febrifuge, Stomachic
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Leaves
Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Culinary use, Used As Food
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Rock Garden / Wall, Wildflower
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
PENSTEMON grandiflorus
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
Large Beardtongue, Shell-leaf Penstemon, Wild Snapdragon
In Hindi
भारतीय पालक
Wild Snapdragon
In German
Indian Spinat
Wilde Snapdragon
In French
épinards indienne
Snapdragon sauvage
In Spanish
espinaca india
Salvaje Snapdragon
In Greek
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
άγρια Snapdragon
In Portuguese
espinafre indiano
Selvagem Snapdragon
In Polish
Indyjski szpinak
Dziki Snapdragon
In Latin
Spinach Indian
Phlox Ferae
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
-
Magnoliophyta
Class
-
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Scrophulariales
Family
Basellaceae
Scrophulariaceae
Genus
Basella
Penstemon
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Scrophularioideae
Number of Species
540
1
27800
👆🏻