Basella alba

Malabar spinach
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Basellaceae
Genus: Basella
Species:
B. alba
Binomial name
Basella alba
Synonyms[1]
List
  • Basella rubra L.
  • Basella lucida L.
  • Basella japonica Burm.f.
  • Basella cordifolia Lam.
  • Basella nigra Lour.
  • Basella crassifolia Salisb.
  • Basella volubilis Salisb.
  • Basella ramosa J.Jacq. ex Spreng.
  • Gandola nigra (Lour.) Raf.
Leaves from West Bengal, India

Basella alba is an edible perennial vine in the family Basellaceae. It is found in tropical Asia and Africa where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and New Guinea. It is naturalized in China, tropical Africa, Brazil, Belize, Colombia, the West Indies, Fiji and French Polynesia.[1]

Basella alba is known by common names including Malabar spinach, vine spinach, Ceylon spinach and Indian spinach.[2][3]

  1. ^ a b c Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, Basella alba
  2. ^ "Basella alba". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  3. ^ Appell, Scott. "Red-Stemmed Malabar Spinach". Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Retrieved 23 April 2022.