Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Sedge or Rush
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
World/Pandemic, North America, Europe, Russia/Siberia, Africa, Asia
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
austrocalifornicus , effusus , laxus , pacificus , solutus
Number of Varieties
55
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
All sorts of environments, Banks, ditches, marshes, Shores of rivers or lakes
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99996-9
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
9-6
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, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm45.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm61.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Green, Tan, Sandy Brown
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long hair-like leaves
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
-
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Divison, reseeds
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Does not require regular watering
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Prune to control growth, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Bumblebees, Flying insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Informal Hedge, Woodland margins
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
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
Leaves
-
Other Uses
Used As Food
woven into the covering of tatami mats
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Bog Garden, Container, Mixed Border, Water Gardens
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
JUNCUS effusus
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Soft Rush
In Hindi
पोई
Soft Rush
In German
Malabarspinat
Soft Rush
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Soft Rush
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Soft Rush
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
Soft Rush
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
Soft Rush
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Soft Rush
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
Soft Rush
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Poales
Family
Basellaceae
Juncaceae
Genus
Basella
Juncus
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
60400
1
27800
👆🏻