Life Span
Perennial
Annual and Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Perennial
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
United States, Northwestern United States, California
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Phlox adsurgens, Phlox alyssifolia, Phlox amabilis
Number of Varieties
5136
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Moist Soils, Wet ground, Wet lands
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99995-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
7-5
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
3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Cushion/Mound-forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm243.84 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm91.44 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
Light Blue, Pink, Red, White
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green, Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Gray Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Gray Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Arrowhead
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral, Slightly Acidic
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Late Spring, Early Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
-
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Seedlings, Stem Planting, Transplanting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Water more in summer, Water when soil is dry
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral, Alkaline
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, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
-
Plant Tolerance
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Caterpillar, Flying insects, Insects
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes, Used for decorating walls, fences, gates, hedges, etc.
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
-
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Alpine, Container, Cutflower, Groundcover, Mixed Border, Rock Garden / Wall
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
PHLOX douglasii
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Douglas Moss Phlox, Phlox
In Hindi
पोई
Phlox plant
In German
Malabarspinat
Phlox Pflanze
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
plante Phlox
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
planta de Phlox
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
φυτό phlox
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
planta Phlox
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Phlox roślin
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
plantae Phlox
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Ericales
Family
Basellaceae
Polemoniaceae
Genus
Basella
Phlox
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Asterids, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
6067
1
27800
👆🏻