| 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: | Annual (grown as), 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 annual 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. | |