Scientific Name: Basella alba 'Rubra'
Common Name: vine spinach, Malabar spinach
Family Name: Basellaceae
Origin: S.E. Asia / Japan / China, South Asia / India
Hardiness Zone: Zone 10: (-1 to 4 °C)
Plant Type: Vine - deciduous, Vine or climber
Mature Size: 1.3 - 2.0m x 0.6 - 1.0m (height x width)
Habit: Spreading
Form: Climbing, Creeping / Mat-like
Texture: Medium
Landscape Uses: Arbors or trellis, Herb, Urban agriculture
Exposure: Full sun only if soil kept moist
Soil or Media: Humus rich
Leaves: Simple, Alternate, Succulent, Glabrous, Ovate, Entire
Flowers: Spike, White, Pink, Sep-Oct
Fruit: Berry (true), Black, Oct
Key ID Features:
Climbing vine; leaves ovate, most 6-9cm long x 3-5cm wide, margins entire, thick, dark green, taste like spinach, petioles about 1cm long; florets pink tinged, urn shaped, about 3mm long, in spikes about 3-4cm long.