Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Grass
Vegetable
Origin
-
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
-
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Number of Varieties
310
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds, Riverbanks
gardens
USDA Hardiness Zone
8-11-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 8
12-7
Sunset Zone
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
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
Upright/Erect
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
60.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm20.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
White, Pink, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Sandy Brown, Tan
Purple, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green, Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green, Gold
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long slender
Round
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Keep ground moist, Requires watering in the growing season, Water Deeply, Water less during winter
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove dead leaves, Remove dead or diseased plant parts, Requires very little pruning
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Soil test crop response correlation (STCR) based integrated fertilizer
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Curvularia blotch, Downy mildew, Rust
Insects, Mites
Plant Tolerance
Salt
Drought
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
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds
-
Allergy
-
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
Removes pimples
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antioxidants, Appetizer, Heart problems, Tonic
Astringent
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Animal Feed, Fibre, Food for animals
Culinary use, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Bedding Plant, Container, Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Mixed Border
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
PENNISETUM glaucum
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Millet, Pearl Millet
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
बाजरा
भारतीय पालक
In German
Perlhirse
Indian Spinat
In French
Perle Millet
épinards indienne
In Spanish
El mijo perla
espinaca india
In Greek
μαργαριτάρι Κεχρί
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
milheto
espinafre indiano
In Polish
Pearl Millet
Indyjski szpinak
In Latin
Pearl milium
Spinach Indian
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
-
Class
Liliopsida
-
Order
Cyperales
Caryophyllales
Family
Poaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Pennisetum
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Paniceae
-
Subfamily
Panicoideae
-
Number of Species
1405
1
27800
👆🏻