Basella rubra seed Malabar Spinach Ceylon Spinach
LATIN NAME: Basella rubra
COMMON NAME: Malabar Spinach
In the warm kitchens of the world, the malabar spinach has long been the summer stand-in for the cool-weather spinach. The malabar spinach grows as a fast-climbing, twining, perennial vine, reaching three metres or more in a season, with the broad, fleshy, heart-shaped, glossy leaves and the small, white or pinkish flowers in the short spikes along the stems. The stems are often a fine deep red, which is where the red form takes its name, and the tender young leaves and the shoots are gathered through the warm season for the table. It is a plant of the warm lowlands of the old world, and it is known as the malabar spinach.
The malabar spinach belongs to the basella family, Basellaceae, and it is a fast-climbing, twining, perennial vine of the warm lowlands of the old world. Its broad, fleshy, heart-shaped leaves and its fast, generous growth are its great show. It is known as the malabar spinach, and it is treasured for its tender, mild leaves.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The malabar spinach has been studied in the food science and the horticulture for its tender leaves and its fast, climbing growth, and the plant keeps showing up in the accounts of the warm-weather greens. Researchers have looked at the mild, fleshy leaves, which are gathered through the warm season where the ordinary spinach bolts, and at the plant’s place among the relatives of the basella family. The deep red stems and the broad, glossy leaves have been of interest in the breeding, and the vine’s fast, generous growth has made it a valued plant of the warm kitchen garden. For a vine with such a mild and generous nature, the malabar spinach has a steady and practical record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
For the warm kitchen garden, the malabar spinach is a generous and dependable vine. Its broad, fleshy, heart-shaped leaves are gathered through the warm season, when the cool-weather spinach has gone to seed, and the tender young shoots are a mild, mild addition to the pot, the pan and the salad. The vine climbs fast up a trellis or a fence and covers it in glossy green and red, and it keeps producing through the heat of the summer. For a gardener of the warm places who wants a steady supply of the fresh greens through the summer, the malabar spinach is a fine choice.
The malabar spinach is a familiar of the warm kitchens of the world, and its tender, mild, slightly mucilaginous leaves are used in the same way as the cool-weather spinach — lightly steamed, wilted in the pan or added to the soups and the stews, and the young leaves and the shoots are also a fine addition to the salad. The vine grows fast up a trellis or a fence and keeps producing through the heat of the summer, when the ordinary spinach has gone to seed, and it is one of the most dependable of the warm-season greens. The red-stemmed form is also grown for its colour, and the whole plant is a generous and easy cropper of the warm kitchen garden.
Sow the plump seeds at a shallow depth in pots of rich, moist, free-draining soil, cover them lightly with a little fine soil, keep the pots warm in a bright, sheltered spot and water them regularly, and the first green shoots will be up within days.
Malabar Red Stem Vine Spinach (Basella Alba), Non GMO, Heirloom, USA, FAST GROWING, FAST SHIPPING, 50CT.
Seeds are fresh, 10-21 days to germination. 1 package contains 50+ count seeds.
We ship in 1 business day. Shipped with USPS First Class Mail.
The Malabar Red Stem Spinach, also known as Ceylon, Vine Spinach, or Basella Alba Rubra, is a beautiful climbing spinach with bright red stems and glossy, edible leaves. This warm weather crop is a vigorous climbing vine and needs to be trellised. Use Malabar Red Stem’s leaves and young stems in salads and stir-fries, or its red-purple juicy berries, as a natural colorant and flavoring. Malabar Spinach is an excellent source of Niacin and Zinc, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, folic acid, iron, and calcium.
Species Spinach, Red Stem Malabar
Plant Size 7-8 feet tall
Days to Germinate
10-21 days
Days to Harvest
70
Germination Rate
85%
Test Date
8/21
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Shade
Seeds Packed For
2022
Planting Instructions:
This warm season vegetable is frost sensitive and should be planted outdoors a few weeks after all danger of frost has passed. Start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. Plant 1/4 inch in soil after all danger of frost has passed in Spring in at least 70F temperature soil.
Within-Row Spacing 18 inches
Between-Row Spacing 24-36 inches
Nutrition Facts:
Red Stem Malabar Spinach
Amount per 100 grams
Calories 19
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.3 g 0%
Cholesterol 0 mg 0%
Sodium 24 mg 1%
Potassium 510 mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 3.4 g 1%
Protein 1.8 g 3%
Vitamin A 160% Vitamin C 170%
Calcium 10% Iron 6%
Vitamin D 0% Vitamin B-6 10%
Cobalamin 0% Magnesium 16%