Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Tree
Vegetable
Origin
Caribbean, South America
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
-
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Number of Varieties
1010
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Primary Rainforest, Riverbanks, subtropical regions, Tropical regions
gardens
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-15-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-9
12-7
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 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
850.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
40.00 cm20.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow, Light Green, Ivory
White, Pink, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Ivory
Purple, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Circular and deeply palmately-lobed
Round
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
-
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
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
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Clay, Loam
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial 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
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
-
Insects, Mites
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Drought
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
Flower Petal Number
-
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Bold
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
Sometimes
Sometimes
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Birds, Fruit Bats
-
Allergy
Antibacterial, Anti-inflammatory
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Antidiabetic, Asthma
Astringent
Part of Plant Used
Bark, Fruits, Latex, Leaves
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Used in making tea, Used in pies, cakes
Culinary use, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Feature Plant, Fruit / Fruit Tree, Mixed Border, Shade Trees, Tropical
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
CECROPIA palmata
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Snakewood Tree
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
Snakewood Tree
भारतीय पालक
In German
Schlangenholz -Baum
Indian Spinat
In French
Amourette Arbre
épinards indienne
In Spanish
Árbol de madera de serpiente
espinaca india
In Greek
Snakewood Tree
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
Snakewood Tree
espinafre indiano
In Polish
Snakewood Tree
Indyjski szpinak
In Latin
Snakewood Tree
Spinach Indian
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Angiosperms
-
Class
Eudicotyledoneae
-
Order
Rosales
Caryophyllales
Family
Urticaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Cecropia
Basella
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
615
1
27800
👆🏻