Pixel Wild
Malabar spinach
Malabar spinach
Basella alba
Plantae
UNCOMMON

Stats

Lifespan
Perennial
Size
Large
Diet
Photosynthetic
Biome
Tropical rainforest
Range
South Asia
Movement
Climbing
Breeding
Seeds
Defense
Camouflage
Status
Uncommon

About

A fast-growing tropical vine with glossy, thick leaves that taste like mild spinach when cooked. Unlike true spinach, it thrives in heat and humidity, making it a popular leafy green across South and Southeast Asia.

Life cycle

  1. 1.
    seed
    A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
  2. 2.
    sprout
    A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
  3. 3.
    sapling
    A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
  4. 4.
    mature
    Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Order
Caryophyllales
Family
Basellaceae
Genus
Basella
Species
Basella alba