Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Vegetable
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
South Africa
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
-
Number of Varieties
55
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Tropical regions, Well Drained, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99997-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
10-5
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
21,22
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm45.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm2.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
White, Light Pink, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
Yellow green
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long Narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Loamy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Dry soil, Shade areas
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Budding, From bulbs
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Keep ground moist, Never Over-water
In Summer
Average Water
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune ocassionally
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
fertilize in fall, Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Bacterial leaf spot, Nematodes, Purple Blotch, Red blotch, Seedcorn maggot
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Dry soil, Shade areas
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
-
Bugs, Flying insects, Insects
Allergy
-
Dermatitis, Pain and fatigue
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes, Used in parkland
Beauty Benefits
-
Acne, For treating wrinkles, Making cosmetics, Removes pimples
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Indoor Air Purification, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Acne, Aging, Antidepressant, epilepsy, Nerve pain, Obesity, Vomiting
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Bulbs
Other Uses
Used As Food
Animal Feed, Can be made into a herbal tea, Oil is used in mosquito repellents, Use in Chinese herbology, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
TULBAGHIA violacea
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Society Garlic
In Hindi
पोई
लहसुन
In German
Malabarspinat
Knoblauch
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Ail
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Ajo
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
σκόρδο
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
alho
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
czosnek
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
allium
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Liliales
Family
Basellaceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Basella
Allium
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Monocotyledonous
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
Lilioideae
Number of Species
60500
1
27800
👆🏻