Code
BADAL
Growth form
vine
Biological cycle
perennial
Habitat
terrestrial
synonym | Basella alba var. cordifolia (Lam.) M.R.Almeida |
synonym | Basella alba var. subcordata Hassk. |
synonym | Basella alba var. subrotunda Moq. |
synonym | Basella cananifolia Buch.-Ham. ex Wall. [Invalid] |
synonym | Basella cordifolia Lam. |
synonym | Basella crassifolia Salisb. |
synonym | Basella japonica Burm.f. |
synonym | Basella lucida L. |
synonym | Basella nigra Lour. |
synonym | Basella oleracea Alef. |
synonym | Basella oleracea var. alba (L.) Alef. |
synonym | Basella oleracea var. cordifolia (Lam.) Alef. |
synonym | Basella oleracea var. japonica (Burm.fil.) Alef. |
synonym | Basella oleracea var. nigra (Lour.) Alef. |
synonym | Basella oleracea var. ramosa (J.Jacq. ex Spreng.) Alef. |
synonym | Basella oleracea var. rubra (L.) Alef. |
synonym | Basella ramosa J.Jacq. |
synonym | Basella ramosa J.Jacq. ex Spreng. |
synonym | Basella rubra L. |
synonym | Basella rubra var. virescens Moq. |
synonym | Basella volubilis Salisb. |
synonym | Gandola nigra (Lour.) Raf. |
synonym | Gandola rubra Rumph. ex L. |
Bengali |
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Chinese |
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Creoles and pidgins, English based |
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Creoles and pidgins, French-based |
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English |
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French |
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Gujarati |
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Indonesian |
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Italian |
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Kannada |
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Konkani |
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Lao |
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Malay |
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Malayalam |
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Marathi |
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Nepali |
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Other |
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Philippine languages |
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Portuguese |
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Sinhala; Sinhalese |
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Spanish; Castilian |
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Tamil |
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Telugu |
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Vietnamese |
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General description
Basella alba is a rhizomatous twining vine with fleshy stems and leaves. Leaves are simple, alternate, stalked. The blade is broadly ovale to subcircular, with a highly cordated base and acute or acuminate apex. The margin is entire, the two sides glabrous, smooth, and shiny. Inflorescences are arranged in linear spikes with a fleshy axis and numerous small white fleshy, sessile flowers, not opening. The fruit is a globose, black shiny and consists of fleshy perianth surrounding the seed.Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
China: Basella alba flowers from May to September and bears fruit from July to October.
Mayotte: Basella alba flowers from April to August and fruits from May to September.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Basella alba is a perennial plant which is propagated by fragmentation of the rhizome or stem. It also multiplies by seeds, dispersed by birds.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Basella alba is a species cultivated and naturalized in Mauritius and Reunion. It is encountered as a weed of sugarcane as well in secondary forest where it climbs along tree trunks. It grows in a wide range of soils, but it prefers high organic matter content moist soils, of pH 6.5 to 6.8.
French Guiana: A market garden species grown under tunnels in particular, it is not considered to be a weed.
Mauritius: B. alba was introduced as a crop but has now become naturalized and is found as a weed in sugarcane plots.
Mayotte: Basela alba is grown close to houses in villages, for its edible leaves. It is not known to occur spontaneously in natural environments or as a weed in crops.
Thailand: B. alba is found near villages, probably escaped from cultivation.
West Indies: Basela alba is cultivated here and there.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Origin
Basella alba is native to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and New Guinea.Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Local harmfulness
Mauritius: Basella alba is sometimes a weed of sugarcane crops.
Reunion: This species is not present in crops.
Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Food: Basella alba is a species used as spinach.
Medicinal: Species widely used, particularly in India and China for its many medicinal properties (dysentery, diarrhea, anemia, cancer, etc.)Attributions | Wiktrop |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Basella%2520alba
Attributions | |
Contributors | |
Status | UNDER_CREATION |
Licenses | CC_BY |
References |
Root | Root |
Kingdom | Plantae |
Phylum | Tracheophyta |
Class | Magnoliopsida |
Order | Caryophyllales |
Family | Basellaceae |
Genus | Basella |
Species | Basella alba L. |