Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Tree
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
North America, Northeastern United States, North-Central United States, Alaska, Canada
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Ornamental Tree
Number of Varieties
530
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Slopes, Swamps
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99992-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
7-1
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
A1, A2, A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Oval or Rounded
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm1,520.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm760.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Light Yellow, Gold
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Egg-shaped
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
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Spring
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Stem Planting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Requires 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
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Showy
Flower Petal Number
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
-
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
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
Cold, Cough, Gout, Laxative, Rheumatism, Wounds
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Leaves, Wood
Other Uses
Used As Food
Animal Feed, Sometimes used for making wine
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Feature Plant, Shade Trees
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
BETULA papyrifera
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Paper Birch
In Hindi
पोई
Paper birch
In German
Malabarspinat
Papierbirke
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Le bouleau à papier
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
abedul de papel
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
σημύδα χαρτί
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
vidoeiro de papel
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
brzoza papieru
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
Paper betula
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Fagales
Family
Basellaceae
Betulaceae
Genus
Basella
Betula
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
6060
1
27800
👆🏻