Basella alba, commonly known as Malabar Spinach, is a fast-growing soft-stemmed twining vine that grows up to 10 feet (3 m) long as an annual, longer as a perennial, but generally remains smaller in most gardens. The glossy dark green oval to heart-shaped leaves are thick and semi-succulent with a mucilaginous texture. The inconspicuous white or pink flowers appear in short spikes in the leaf axils. They are followed by ornamental, 4-parted deep-purple to black berries.
Malabar Spinach can be grown as an annual leafy vegetable for its edible spinach-like stems and leaves or as an ornamental foliage vine.
The edible leaves and shoots resemble spinach with a mild, slightly peppery flavor with a hint of citrus. They are used in the same way. The young leaves can be eaten raw, mixed in a green salad, and steamed or boiled to be used like cooked spinach. Because of its mucilaginous nature, Malabar Spinach can also be used to thicken soups and stews. The leaves can be eaten throughout the season, but once plants start flowering, the leaves become bitter. The tasteless red-purple juice of the fresh berries can stain and is used as a dye or food colorant in Asia. Fruits can be dried whole for planting the following year.
Growing Conditions and General Care
Malabar Spinach grows best in full sun and prefers continuously moist soil with a pH of 6.5 to 6.8. It can be grown in pots or a garden with a trellis or up a wall. If the soil becomes dry, it will flower.
This plant can be grown from seed. Sow the seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost. They should germinate in 10 to 20 days. To speed up your seedling's growth, you can soak the seeds in water overnight before planting or use a knife to open up the hard exterior seed coating.
Seedlings can be transplanted into the garden once the soil has warmed and should be placed a foot (30 cm) apart. Plants will take off in summer heat above 80 °F (27 °C). Malabar Spinach does best with some vertical support. However, it can also ramble along the ground. This attractive plant is a lovely addition to your ornamental landscape.
If you want to spread this plant quickly around your garden or share it with friends, Malabar Spinach roots easily. New plants will sprout up wherever the stems touch moist soil. In addition, it can be easily propagated from tip cuttings that root readily in water.
Once temperatures fall below 60 °F (15 °C), growth will slow down. If you do not get frost, the plant can come back each year.
Source: gardeningchannel.com
Links
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