Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Sedge or Rush
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
North America
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Grass
Number of Varieties
55
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
Lake margins, Lake Sides, Lakes
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
-
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
7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Upright/Erect
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm270.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm150.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
-
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Olive
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Olive
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Olive
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Sandy Brown
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Long linear and narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Bloom Time
-
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Ground
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Rhizome division, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
occasional watering once established
In Summer
Average Water
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Soil Type
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Poorly Drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Full 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
Aphids, Mealy bugs, Scale, Scale insects
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
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
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Birds, Butterflies
Allergy
-
Itchiness
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
Abscess, Snakebite, Wounds
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Rhizomes, Root, Seeds, Shoots, Stem
Other Uses
Used As Food
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Bog Garden, Water Gardens
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
Schoenoplectus Tabernaemontani
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Grey Club-Rush, Great Bulrush, Softstem Bulrush
In Hindi
पोई
Softstem Bulrush
In German
Malabarspinat
Softstem Bulrush
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Softstem Bulrush
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Softstem Bulrush
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
Softstem Bulrush
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
Softstem Bulrush
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Softstem Bulrush
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
Softstem Bulrush
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Poales
Family
Basellaceae
Cyperaceae
Genus
Basella
Schoenoplectus
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
6035
1
27800
👆🏻