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Basella alba (view source)

Revision as of 20:55, 14 August 2009

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{{Taxobox
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__NOTOC__{{Plantbox
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| color = lightgreen
   
| name = ''Basella alba''
 
| name = ''Basella alba''
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| common_names = Malabar spinach, Ceylon spinach, climbing/vine spinach
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| growth_habit = vine
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| high = 9m (10 ft)
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| wide =    <!--- 65cm (25 inches) -->
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| origin = ?  <!--- Mexico, S America, S Europe, garden, etc -->
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| poisonous =    <!--- indicate parts of plants which are known/thought to be poisonous -->
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| lifespan = perennial
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| exposure = ?  <!--- full sun, part-sun, semi-shade, shade, indoors, bright filtered (you may list more than 1) -->
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| water = ?  <!--- frequent, regular, moderate, drought tolerant, let dry then soak -->
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| features = edible leaves
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| hardiness = frost tender
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| bloom =    <!--- seasons which the plant blooms, if it is grown for its flowers -->
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| usda_zones = 10+
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| sunset_zones =    <!--- eg. 8, 9, 12-24, not available -->
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| color = IndianRed
 
| image = Basella alba-2.JPG
 
| image = Basella alba-2.JPG
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| image_width = 240px
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| image_width = 240px   <!--- leave as 240px if horizontal orientation photo, or change to 180px if vertical -->
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
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| image_caption = Basella alba
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| divisio = [[Magnoliophyta]]
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| regnum = Plantae
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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| divisio = Magnoliophyta
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| ordo = [[Caryophyllales]]
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| classis = Magnoliopsida
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| familia = [[Basellaceae]]
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| ordo = Caryophyllales
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| genus = ''[[Basella]]''
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| familia = Basellaceae
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| species = '''''B. alba'''''
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| genus = Basella
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| binomial = ''Basella alba''
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| species = alba
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| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
   
}}
 
}}
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'''''Basella alba''''' is a [[perennial]] [[vine]] originating in the tropics where it is widely used as a [[leaf vegetable]]{{wp}}. It is in flower from May to September, and the seeds ripen from July to October[http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Basella+alba].
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'''''Basella alba''''' is a [[perennial plant|perennial]] [[vine]] found in the tropics where it is widely used as a [[leaf vegetable]].
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==Cultivation==
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Needs moist, well drained soil.  Not picky about soil heaviness or acidity.  Prefers high amounts of organic matter, but soil that is not too rich.  Plant in sunny, sheltered spot.  Give trellis or fence for it to climb[http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Basella+alba].
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==Description==
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===Propagation===
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{{edit-prop}}<!--- Type propagation info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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''Basella alba'' is a fast-growing, soft-stemmed [[vine]], reaching 10 m in length.  Its thick, semi-[[succulent]], heart-shaped leaves have a mild flavour and mucilaginous texture. 
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===Pests and diseases===
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{{edit-pests}}<!--- Type pest/disease info below this line, then delete this entire line -->
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==Uses==
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==Varieties==
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*'Eclipse' - Produces a very early crop in 55 - 60 days where warm. The compact plants can be planted close together. Leaves are thick and medium to deep green.  Yields very well where it is warm and humid.
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*'Red' - Leaves, stems and flowers tinged red. Color is lost when cooked.
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===Food===
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==Gallery==
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The vegetable is used in [[Chinese cuisine]]. Its many names include flowing water vegetable (潺菜, Mandarin ''chāncài'', Cantonese ''saan choy'', ''shan tsoi''), fallen [[hollyhock]] (落葵 Mandarin ''luokui'', Cantonese ''lor kwai''), wood ear vegetable (木耳菜 ''muercai'') and emperor vegetable (帝王菜 ''diwangcai'').
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{{photo-sources}}<!-- remove this line if there are already 3 or more photos in the gallery  -->
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In Africa, the mucilagenous cooked shoots are most commonly used.<ref name="prota">Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.</ref>
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<gallery>
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Image:Basella alba-1.JPG|
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Although it is only distantly related to the vegetable [[spinach]], it is commonly known as Malabar-, Ceylon-, Indian-, East-Indian-, Surinam-, Chinese-, or Vietnamese spinach. It is also known as Malabar nightshade or Malabar climbing spinach, broad bologi, mồng tơi and buffalo spinach. Its Bengali names are 'pui saag' and 'bachhali' ([[Telugu language|Telugu]]).
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Image:Upload.png| photo 1
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Image:Upload.png| photo 2
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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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Image:Upload.png| photo 3
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</gallery>
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Among many other possibilities, Malabar spinach may be used to thicken [[soup]]s or [[stir frying|stir-fried]] with [[garlic]] and [[chile pepper]]s.
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[[Image:Basella alba-1.JPG|thumb]]
      
==References==
 
==References==
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{{Reflist}}
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<!--- xxxxx  *[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
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== External links ==
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==External links==
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{{commons|Basella alba|Basella alba}}
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*{{wplink}}
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{{unimelb|Basella.html}}
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{{stub}}
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*[http://database.prota.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=QBE_QUERY&BU=http%3A%2F%2Fdatabase.prota.org%2Fsearch.htm&TN=PROTAB~1&QB0=AND&QF0=Species+Code&QI0=Basella+alba&RF=Webdisplay PROTAbase on ''Basella alba'']
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[[Category:Categorize]]
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*[http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/trade/asiaveg/thes-09.htm Photo and multilingual synonyms]
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*[http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MV138 University of Florida Agricultural Extension]
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*[http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-388.html#basellaceae Evaluation of tropical leaf vegetables in the Virgin Islands]
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*[http://www.worldcrops.org/crops/Malabar-Spinach.cfm Malabar Spinach ''Basella alba'', ''B. ruba''] (WorldCrops)
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[[Category:Caryophyllales]]
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<!--  in order to add all the proper categories, go to http://www.plants.am/wiki/Plant_Categories and copy/paste the contents of the page here, and then follow the easy instructions!    -->
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[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
 
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