Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Epiphyte
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
China, India, Nepal
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Pleione chunii , Pleione limprichtii
Number of Varieties
5100
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Hilly upland habitat, Wooded hillsides
USDA Hardiness Zone
-999913-15
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
12-10
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
-
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm12.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm15.20 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
White, Yellow, Yellow green, Brown
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green, Yellow green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Elliptic to oblong
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Slow
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
-
The pH of Soil
Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Early Spring, Winter, Late Winter
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Light Frost
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Bulbs
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Do not water excessively, Needs very little water
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
-
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Prune if you want to improve plant shape, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Compost
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
-
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Light Frost
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
Medium
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Bonsai, Showy Purposes
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
Acts as a natural source of rain water for birds and insects., Beneficial species for attracting pollinators
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Container, Hanging Basket, Houseplant, Tropical
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
SIGMATOSTALIX amazonica
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Amazon Sigmatostalix Orchid, Miniature Orchid
In Hindi
पोई
miniature orchid
In German
Malabarspinat
miniature orchid
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Pleione
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Pleione
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
Pleione
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
miniature orchid
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
miniature orchid
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
miniature orchid
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Asparagales
Family
Basellaceae
Orchidaceae
Genus
Basella
Pleione
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
-
Coelogyneae
Subfamily
-
Epidendroideae
Number of Species
602000
1
27800
👆🏻