Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Flowering Plants, Fruits, Herbs, Shrubs
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Australia, South America
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Adams Elderberry, Black Beauty Elderberry, Black Lace Elderberry, Johns Elderberry, Nova Elderberry
Number of Varieties
50
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Farms, Homesteads, Near organic waste disposal
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99994-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
8-1
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
2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, 17
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm9.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm8.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
Purple, Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Yellow green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Compound
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Early Spring
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Part sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Slightly Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Average
Bloom Time
-
Early Spring, Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Pollution
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Grafting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Requires regular watering, Use Mulches to help prevent water loss during hot and windy weather
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Slightly Acidic
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loamy, Sandy, Well drained
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Average
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Part sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Cut or pinch the stems, No pruning needed in the early stages, Prune for shortening long shoots, Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Prune in winter, Prune ocassionally, Remove deadheads
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Canker, Leaf spot, Powdery mildew, Stem spot, Tomato Ringspot Virus
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
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
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds
Allergy
-
Diarrhea, Nausea, Vomiting
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
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
constipation, Fever, Heart problems, High cholestrol, HIV/AIDS, Nerve pain, swine flu
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Flowers, Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
-
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
Sambucus nigra
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Elderberry
In Hindi
पोई
Elderberry
In German
Malabarspinat
Holunderbeere
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Sureau
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Saúco
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
Elderberry
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
Sabugueiro
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Bez czarny
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
Elderberry
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Dipsacales
Family
Basellaceae
Adoxaceae
Genus
Basella
Sambucus
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
6030
1
27800
👆🏻