| Type: Family: Native Range: Height: Spread: Bloom Time: Bloom Description: Sun: Water: Maintenance: Suggested Use: Flower: |
Ceylon spinach Vine Basellaceae Tropical regions 2.00 to 6.00 feet 2.00 to 3.00 feet July to frost Purple-white Full sun Medium Medium Annual, Vegetable Showy |
Grow in rich, fertile, moisture-retentive soils in full sun. Tolerates light shade. Easily grown from seed. Start seed indoors 6-8 weeks before last spring frost date. Seed may also be planted directly in the garden at the last spring frost date. Use a slow-release fertilizer. When grown as a vegetable, train it on a sturdy trellis or other support. When grown for ornamental purposes, grow it on a fence or lamppost or other structure. Plants may also be allowed to simply trail along the ground. Plants are intolerant of frost and do not perform well if summer temperatures consistently dip below 59 degrees F. at night. Basella rubra, commonly called Malabar spinach, is native to the East Indies. It is a vigorous, climbing, tropical vine that may be grown in St. Louis as (1) an annual leafy vegetable for cultivation of its edible spinach-like stems and leaves or (2) as an ornamental foliage vine. This is a fast-growing tropical vine that, if trained on a support, will rise to 6′ tall in a single season. Although in a different family than spinach, the leaves taste like spinach and, unlike spinach, the plants thrive in hot summer weather. Leaves and stems are a good source of Vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. Small purple-white flowers may appear at the end of the summer (plants will not flower until daylight decreases to less than 12 hours per day). Genus name comes from the Latinized version of the vernacular name. Specific epithet means red. No serious insect or disease problems. As a vegetable, pick leaves and stems as needed for use in soups, salads, stir-fry or as a pot herb for stews. As an ornamental, enjoy the glossy green leaves and red stems in ornamental plantings on posts, fences, hanging baskets or large containers. Typical o f leaf vegetables, Malabar spinach is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, but high in protein per calorie. The succulent mucilage is a particularly rich source of soluble fiber. Among many other possibilities, Malabar spinach may be used to thicken soups or stir-fries with garlic and chili peppers. Grows well in a wide range o f soils, but prefers moist, fertile soils, high in organic matter, pH 6.5 to 6.8. Requires consistent moisture to keep from flowering, which causes leaves to turn bitter. |
| Information on this page is generally from Missouri Botanical Gardens, Dave’s Garden, All things Plants or Texas Superstar |