Plant · GBIF taxon 3083504
Malabar spinach
Basella albaAlso known as Vine Spinach, Ceylon Spinach, Alugbati, Indian Spinach
Malabar spinach is a fast-growing, heat-loving perennial vine native to tropical Asia that thrives in warm summer weather when cool-season leafy greens wither. Its thick, succulent leaves and twining stems climb rapidly up trellises, producing dense spikes of small white or pink flowers followed by deep purple-black berries. Beyond its widespread cultivation, the plant serves as an important heat-tolerant leafy green across tropical and subtropical farming regions worldwide.
Climbing VineHeat-TolerantSucculent
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Photosynthetic
Predators
- Leafminers
- Snails and slugs
- Caterpillars
ThreatsFrost, severe drought, pest insects
HabitatsTropical regions, cultivated gardens, moist soils
Life spanPerennial (grown as annual in cold climates)
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderCaryophyllales
- FamilyBasellaceae
- GenusBasella
- SpeciesBasella alba
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Wild plants have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild plants based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Support Structures: Provide a sturdy trellis or fence for the vigorous climbing stems to twine around.
- Visual Identification: Look for glossy, heart-shaped succulent leaves and dark purple berries along the vine.
- Frost Protection: Protect or harvest plants before autumn frosts, as freezing temperatures quickly kill the vines.
Unrelated Look-alike 
Ecological Counterpart no rights reserved, uploaded by 葉子 · cc0
Close Relative Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
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