Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Vegetable
Needled or Scaled Evergreen
Origin
Southeastern Asia, India
Japan
Types
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Papyrus, Cyperus alternifolius
Number of Varieties
515
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
ditches, Marshy ground
USDA Hardiness Zone
-99995-8
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12*7
8-4
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
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Vining/Climbing
Pyramidal
Plant Size
Minimum Height
2.40 cm610.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
24.00 cm460.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Red, Green, Orange Red
Yellow
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
White, Ivory
Red orange
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green
Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green, Dark Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Purple, Gray Green
Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Purple, Gray Green
Dark Green, Bronze
Shape
Leaf Shape
Heart-shaped
Umbrella Like
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
Slow
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
-
Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container, Pot
How to Plant?
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Rooted stem cutting
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
Plant grows in water
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
Clay, Loam
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
Cut out old leaves
Fertilizers
Nitrogen
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Aphids
Fungal Diseases
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
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
Fine
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Hummingbirds
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
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
Tonic
Part of Plant Used
Leaves
Root
Other Uses
Used As Food
Basketary, Used in paper industry, Weaving into Mats and Bags
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Feature Plant, Foundation, Mixed Border, Topiary, Bonsai, Espalier
Botanical Name
BASELLA alba
Cyperus alternifolius
Common Name
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
Galingale,Umbrella Palm
In Hindi
पोई
mbrella Palm
In German
Malabarspinat
Cyperus alternifolius
In French
L’épinard de Malabar
Cyperus alternifolius
In Spanish
espinaca de Malabar
Cyperus alternifolius
In Greek
Malabar Σπανάκι
Umbrella Palm
In Portuguese
Malabar espinafre
Umbrella Palm
In Polish
Szpinak Malabar
Cibora zmienna
In Latin
Spinach Malabar
Umbrella Palm
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Eudicotyledones
Liliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Cyperales
Family
Basellaceae
Sciadopityaceae
Genus
Basella
Cyperus
Clade
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
609
1
27800
👆🏻