Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Shrub
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Central America, South America
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Fruit Tree
Number of Varieties
52
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Dry areas, Well Drained, Woodlands
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99999-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
-
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
13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Thicket/Colonizing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm457.20 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm243.84 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Light Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Oval
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Spring, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Cuttings, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Average Water Needs, Do Not over Water, Requires regular watering
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Dry, Sandy
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
In Early Autumn, Prune in winter, Remove branches, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
Complete balanced fertilizer, iron-rich fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Aphids, Red blotch, Whiteflies
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Wind
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
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
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bees, Birds, Butterflies, pollinators
Allergy
-
Pollen
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
-
Good for skin
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification, Food for birds, Nesting sites for birds, Windbreak
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Antioxidants, Arthritis, Diarrhea, Dysentry, Fertility, Fever, Inflammation, Kidney problems, Urinary tract problems, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Flowers, Fruits, Leaves, Root
Other Uses
Used As Food
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for making hedge
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
Malpighia emarginata
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Barbados cherry, West Indian cherry and wild crepe myrtle
In Hindi
पोई
Acerola Tree
In German
Malabarspinat
Acerola Baum
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Acerola Arbre
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Árbol de acerola
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
Acerola Δέντρο
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
Árvore acerola
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Acerola Drzewo
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
Acerola ligno
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Eudicotyledones
-
Order
Caryophyllales
Malpighiales
Family
Basellaceae
Malpighiaceae
Genus
Basella
Malpighia
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Paperveroideae
Number of Species
60-
1
27800
👆🏻