Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Needled or Scaled Evergreen
Vegetable
Origin
Northwestern United States, Canada
Southeastern Asia, India
Types
-
Basella rubra, L.Basella oleracea, Landw.Basella lucida, L.Basella japonica, Burm.f.Basella cordifolia,
Number of Varieties
610
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Lowland, Moist Soils, Swamps
gardens
USDA Hardiness Zone
5-7-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
8-1
12-7
Sunset Zone
A3, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 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
Pyramidal
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
1,520.00 cm2.40 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
760.00 cm20.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
Light Yellow
White, Pink, Light Pink
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Brown, Sienna
Purple, Black
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green
Green, Light Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green, Bronze
Green, Dark Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Scale-like imbricate
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
Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Loam
Clay, Loam
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Spring
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Pollution, Soil Compaction
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground
Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Cuttings, Hardwood Cuttings, Rooted stem cutting, Seedlings
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Average Water Needs, Needs a lot of moisture in the growing season, when new, water every week
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
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
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer
Pests and Diseases
Armillaria root rot, Bark beetles
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
Fine
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
-
Allergy
Asthma, contact allergic dermatitis, Urticaria
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
-
Beauty Benefits
-
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Air purification
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Bronchitis, Cold, Cough, Fever, Sore throat
Astringent
Part of Plant Used
Branch, Inner Bark, Leaves, Wood
Fruits, Leaves
Other Uses
Dugout canoes, Making deodorants, Medicinal oil, Paper pulp, Pulp can be used to make rope place mats and other goods, Used as an insecticide, Used to make baskets
Culinary use, Used As Food
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Feature Plant, Hedges, Screening / Wind Break
Container, Edible, Groundcover, Herb / Vegetable, Tropical, Vine
Botanical Name
THUJA plicata
BASELLA alba
Common Name
Giant Arborvitae, Green Giant Arborvitae, Western Arborvitae, Western Red Cedar
Ceylon Spinach, Indian Spinach, Malabar Spinach
In Hindi
Pacific redcedar
भारतीय पालक
In German
Riesen-Lebensbaum
Indian Spinat
In French
Thuja plicata
épinards indienne
In Spanish
Thuja plicata
espinaca india
In Greek
Thuja plicata
Ινδικό Σπανάκι
In Portuguese
Thuja plicata
espinafre indiano
In Polish
Żywotnik olbrzymi
Indyjski szpinak
In Latin
Thuja plicata
Spinach Indian
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Pinophyta
-
Class
Pinopsida
-
Order
Pinales
Caryophyllales
Family
Cupressaceae
Basellaceae
Genus
Thuja
Basella
Clade
-
Angiosperms, Core eudicots, Eudicots
Tribe
-
-
Subfamily
-
-
Number of Species
155
1
27800
👆🏻