Indian spinach

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Indian spinach
Indian spinach (Basella alba)

Indian spinach ( Basella alba )

Systematics
Eudicotyledons
Nuclear eudicotyledons
Order : Clove-like (Caryophyllales)
Family : Basellaceae (Basellaceae)
Genre : Basella
Type : Indian spinach
Scientific name
Basella alba
L.

The Indian spinach , Malabar or Ceylonspinat ( Basella alba ) is a plant from the genus Basella within the family of basellaceae (Basellaceae). It is grown throughout the tropics and the young leaves are used as cooking vegetables.

description

Illustration from Blanco
Foliage leaves

Vegetative characteristics

Indian spinach is a 1 to 9 meter high, twisting and richly branched herbaceous plant with green or red, bare shoots that are bent back and forth .

The alternate leaves are arranged in a petiole and a leaf blade. The petiole is 1 to 3 inches long. The simple, entire, fleshy leaf blade is elongated or broadly ovate with a length of 5 to 15 centimeters and a width of 4 to 12 centimeters with a weakly heart-shaped, rounded or truncated blade base and a pointed or blunt-pointed upper end. Both sides of the leaf are light green and often tinged a little reddish.

Generative characteristics

The lateral, spiked inflorescence is 3 to 15, rarely up to 20 centimeters long. There are two elongated bracts under each flower.

The relatively small, hermaphrodite flowers are white, red, pink or purple in color. The five stamens are fused with the flower envelope at the base. The stamens are white and the anthers are yellowish. Three carpels have become a top permanent, einfächerigen ovary grown. The stylus ends in three pits .

The approximately 6 millimeters thick, shiny, black, dark red or white drupes are covered by the urn-shaped flower shell, which enlarges and becomes fleshy as the fruit ripens.

The Indian spinach flowers from May to September, the fruits ripen from July to October.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = about 48.

distribution

The original range of Basella alba is probably in Southeast Asia. As a cultivated plant, Basella alba is widespread throughout the tropics. Basella alba is a neophyte in tropical Africa and Asia, in China and Taiwan, in New Guinea, in South America, in Panama, on the Caribbean islands and on islands in the Pacific.

Taxonomy

The first publication of Basella alba carried out in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in his work Species Plantarum , page 272. synonyms for Basella alba L. are: Basella rubra L. , Basella japonica L. , Basella lucida Burm. f.

Field with Indian spinach

Cultivation

Indian spinach is grown as a perennial vegetable in tropical areas. The propagation takes place by cuttings or seeds . Six months after planting, the young leafy shoots are harvested.

Because of the lack of frost resistance, the cultivation in Europe takes place annually in full sun, sheltered locations, mostly by seeds. After sowing in pots under glass in March, preculture takes place at 22 to 15 ° C. The young plants are planted out at a distance of 20 centimeters in rows 40 centimeters apart as soon as night frosts are no longer to be expected. The plants need a climbing aid. The 10 to 20 centimeter long shoot tips can be harvested continuously.

use

The leafy shoot tips are prepared as cooking vegetables in a similar way to spinach . The fleshy leaves have a high nutritional value, they contain 5% carbohydrates, 5% protein, 0.7% fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, provitamin A and vitamin C. The cooked leaves have a slightly slimy consistency.

The dark red juice of the fruit was used as an ink and dye in ancient China . The plant can also be used as an ornamental plant.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Andreas Bärtels: Tropical plants , ornamental and useful plants , 5th edition, Eugen Ulmer Verlag, Stuttgart, 2002, p. 334.
  2. ↑ a b c d Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology: Little known types of vegetables. Saxon State Government, Dresden 2nd edition 2013, p. 25, online .
  3. ↑ a b c d Dequan Lu, Michael G. Gilbert: Basellaceae Moquin Tandon . In: Wu Zhengyi, Peter H. Raven, Deyuan Hong (Eds.): Flora of China. Volume 5: Ulmaceae through Basellaceae. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and St. Louis 2003, ISBN 1-930723-27-X . Basella alba , p. 445 online with the same text as the printed work.
  4. ^ Basella alba at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  5. ↑ a b c Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Basella alba. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Basella in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved September 20, 2017.

Web links

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