Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Grass
Vegetable
Origin
North America, South America, Europe, Southern Africa, Asia
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
-
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
55
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
meadows, Pastures, Wet lands
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
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
Habit
-
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
40.00 cm24.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Yellow Brown
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
-
White, Ivory
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Light Green, Blue Green, Gray Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
-
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Purple, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Oblong
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
-
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
-
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring, Summer
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Deer resistant, Drought, Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Keep the ground moist but not water-logged
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Less Watering
Average Water
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Lots of watering
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
-
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
Pruning
No pruning needed in the early stages, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
avoid high rate of nitrogen in spring, Nitrogen
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Fungal Diseases, Head smut, Leaf rust, Stem rot
Aphids
Plant Tolerance
Deer resistant, Drought, Salt
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
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Bees, Birds, Butterflies
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Ground Cover
-
Beauty Benefits
Improve skin condition
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Erosion control, Food for animals, soil stabilisation
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
Seeds
Leaves
Other Uses
Food for animals
Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Cutflower, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Wildflower
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
Hordeum brachyantherum
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Meadow Barley
Ceylon Spinach, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
meadow barley
पोई
In German
Wiese Gerste
Malabarspinat
In French
orge prairie
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
cebada prado
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
λιβάδι κριθάρι
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
cevada prado
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
łąka jęczmienia
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
pratum hordei
Spinach Malabar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Cyperales
Caryophyllales
Family
Poaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Hordeum
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
1060
1
27800
👆🏻