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// SPECIES PROFILE · FOOD CROP · CULTIVATED

Malabar Spinach

Basella alba

Malabar Spinach (Basella alba) is a cultivated annual food crop grown for its edible leaf, shoot. Family: Basellaceae (basella family). Originally from Tropical Asia. Grown as an annual in zones 5a–11a. Mature size 6'–10'. Harvest in northeastern Oklahoma: Jul–Oct.

// QUICK FACTS
Family
Basellaceae (basella family)
Group
crop · annual
Origin
Tropical Asia · cultivated
USDA zones
Zones 5a–11a (as an annual)
Mature size
6'–10'
Sun
Sun to part shade
Water
High · moisture-loving
Edible parts
leaf, shoot
Harvest (NE OK)
Jul–Oct
Garden role
heat-loving vining green · summer stand-in for spinach · climbs a trellis
Malabar Spinach (Basella alba)
Basella alba — Malabar Spinach. Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Field Notes

[ growing · ecology · siting · care ]

Malabar Spinach (Basella alba) is a cultivated annual food crop grown for its edible leaf, shoot. Family: Basellaceae (basella family). Originally from Tropical Asia. Grown as an annual in zones 5a–11a. Mature size 6'–10'. Harvest in northeastern Oklahoma: Jul–Oct.

Why it's on this list: heat-loving vining green · summer stand-in for spinach · climbs a trellis. A cultivated food crop — not a native — grown alongside regional natives in Rooted Revival's kitchen-garden and food-forest designs. Harvest windows are for northeastern Oklahoma (USDA zone 7a).

Companion Planting

[ guild · polyculture · cross-layer pairings ]

In a kitchen garden or food-forest guild, malabar spinach pairs well with: Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), Cowpea / Black-Eyed Pea (Vigna unguiculata), Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas), Eggplant (Solanum melongena).

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