Life Span
Annual
Perennial
Type
Grass
Vegetable
Origin
-
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
-
Red Malabar Spinach, Green Malabar Spinach
Number of Varieties
35
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Cultivated Beds, Riverbanks
Hot climate regions, Humid climates
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 cm24.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
-
Red, Green, Orange Red
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Sandy Brown, Tan
White, Ivory
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
Purple, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Winter
-
Purple, Gray Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Long slender
Heart-shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial shade
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
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Salt
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs
Do not let dry out between waterings, Requires consistently moist soil
In Summer
Lots of watering
Average Water
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, Partial shade
Pruning
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Soil test crop response correlation (STCR) based integrated fertilizer
Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Bacterial leaf spot, Curvularia blotch, Downy mildew, Rust
Aphids
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
Folate, Iron, Low calories, Low Fats, Rich in Potassium, ß-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin C
Part of Plant Used
Fruits, Seeds
Leaves
Other Uses
Animal Feed, Fibre, Food for animals
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, Malabar Spinach, Red Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
बाजरा
पोई
In German
Perlhirse
Malabarspinat
In French
Perle Millet
L’épinard de Malabar
In Spanish
El mijo perla
espinaca de Malabar
In Greek
μαργαριτάρι Κεχρί
Malabar Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
milheto
Malabar espinafre
In Polish
Pearl Millet
Szpinak Malabar
In Latin
Pearl milium
Spinach Malabar
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Eudicotyledones
Order
Cyperales
Caryophyllales
Family
Poaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Pennisetum
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
Paniceae
-
Subfamily
Panicoideae
-
Number of Species
14060
1
27800
👆🏻