Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Eastern Asia, Japan
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
-
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
405
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
-
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
USDA Hardiness Zone
4-8-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8-1
12*7
Sunset Zone
A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
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
Habit
Oval or Rounded
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
610.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
370.00 cm24.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red, Yellow
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
-
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
-
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Purple, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oval
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Late Spring
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Divison
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water excessively
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Lots of watering
Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
Prune in spring, Requires very little pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Doesn't require fertilization when grown in rich soil
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Healthy tree, Red blotch
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Foliage Sheen
-
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
-
Allergy
Poisonous
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
-
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
-
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Whole plant
Leaves
Other Uses
Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Street Trees, Topiary / Bonsai / Espalier
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
Malus floribunda
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Japanese flowering crabapple, Japanese crab, purple chokeberry, showy crabapple
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
Japanese crab apple
पोई
In German
Japanische Wildapfel
Malabarspinat
In French
Pommier du Japon
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
Manzano silvestre japonés
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
Ιαπωνικά μήλο καβουριών
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
maçã de caranguejo japonês
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
Japoński krab jabłko
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
Japanese crab apple
Spinach Malabar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Rosales
Caryophyllales
Family
Rosaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Malus
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Maleae
-
Subfamily
Amygdaloideae
-
Number of Species
5560
1
27800
👆🏻