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Basella alba

Botanic Family
Basellaceae
Author
Linnaeus
Propagation
C.S.
Cultivated
C, vegetable, ornamental with cultivars
Hardiness Zone
Min10C
Offspring
Basella alba 'Cordifolia', Basella alba 'Rubra'

Common Names

Geographical Habitats

Natural Habitats

Flowering Times

Fruiting Times

Herbaceous annual or biannual stem-twiner or creeping herbaceous glabrous rhizomatous succulent vine to 10m with green or purplish stems. Fleshy leaves to 150mm x 140mm tinted purple. Axillary solitary spikes to 250mm long of white, pink or purple flowers 5mm long with bracts, corolla to 4.1mm in axillary spikes to 250mm long, corolla lobes to 2.2mm long, calyx lobes to 2mm long, calyx envelops flowers. Fruit a shiny purple fleshy utricle to 10mm diameter red, purple, white or black.

Rampant

Leaves, fruits & stem tips cultivated as a vegetable. Roots & leaves have medicinal uses, dye, edible herb, magic, aphrodisiac

Further References