Malibar Spinach

Basella alba in the Basellaceae family, not the spinach family.

Two main species : Basella alba: green stems and thick fleshy leaves, and Basella ruba which has red stems.

Goes by many other common names  including Ceylon spinach, Indian spinach, vine spinach, and Malabar nightshade. Ceylon spinach, Vietnamese spinach (English); Saan Choy, Shan Tsoi, Luo Kai, Shu Chieh, Lo Kwai (Chinese); Tsuru Murasa Kai (Japanese); Mong Toi (Vietnamese); Paag-Prung (Thai); Genjerot, Jingga, Gendola (Indonesian).

Native to Malabar, India and Indonesia

Very warm-season crop

Prefers a humus-rich, sandy loam in full sun. Seeds can be can be started indoors eight weeks before the last frost date, night temperatures above 60 deg F. Plant seeds 1 inch deep, 1 inch apart in rows in rows 2.5 feet apart.

Malabar spinach is fast growing and tolerates high rainfall. This is a fast growing vine plant and produces best when trellised. Stem tips (6-8 inches) are harvested 55-70 days after seeding. Repeated harvests of new growth stems can be made through out the season.

Malabar spinach is very insect and disease resistant

Saving seed is easy : Simply dry the entire fruit and use it for planting the following year. Stem and tip cuttings may be employed as well.

The mucilaginous texture is especially useful as a thickener in soups and stews.

Typical of leaf vegetables, it is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, and high in protein per calorie. The succulent mucilage is a particularly rich source of soluble fiber, thought to remove mucus and toxins from the body. The plant is also a rich source of chlorophyll.

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