Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Southern Asia, Southeastern Asia, India, China, Melanesia, Australia
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
Ceiba casearia, Bombax pentandrum
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Number of Varieties
1010
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Tropical regions
gardens
USDA Hardiness Zone
9-15-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-7
12-7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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
1,830.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
1,830.00 cm20.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Orange Red
White, Pink, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown
Purple, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Palmate
Round
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Medium
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Spring, Late Winter
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
In Summer
Moderate
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Prune when young, Remove dead branches
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Red blotch, Root rot
Insects, Mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought, Soil Compaction
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
Coarse
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
-
Allergy
Headache, Pulmonary oedema, Respiratory distress, wheezing
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin tone, Making cosmetics, Moisturizing, Skin irritation
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent Soil Erosion, soil stabilisation
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aphrodisiac, Diuretic
Astringent
Part of Plant Used
Leaves, Seeds
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Oil is used as an industrial solvent, Used as Ornamental plant
Culinary use, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Shade Trees, Tropical
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
Ceiba pentandra
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Cotton Tree, Red Kapok, Red-silk-cotton Tree
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
सफ़ेद सेमल / शाल्मली
भारतीय पालक
In German
Kapok baum
Indian Spinat
In French
Fromager
épinards indienne
In Spanish
Ceiba
espinaca india
In Greek
Ceiba
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
Mafumeira
espinafre indiano
In Polish
Puchowiec pięciopręcikowy
Indyjski szpinak
In Latin
Ceiba
Spinach Indian
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Magnoliopsida
-
Order
Malvales
Caryophyllales
Family
Bombacaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Ceiba
Basella
Clade
Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
105
1
27800
👆🏻