Malabar spinach cultivation - Basella alba - 07/21/2025

Malabar spinach (Basella alba), also known as Indian spinach, Ceylon spinach, and vine spinach, is a leafy green vegetable and a climbing vine that needs a trellis, fence, or other vertical structure for the vines to climb. It is becoming a popular choice in tropical and subtropical regions, particularly in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea. It is becoming naturalized in China, Africa, Brazil, Belize, Colombia, the West Indies, Fiji, and French Polynesia, and is known for its heat tolerance and nutrient-rich leaves. Many insects like the Marmalade hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus), flies, Common grass yellow genus (Eurema hecabe), and Tobacco grasshopper (Atractomorpha crenulata) are visiting the Malabar spinach flowers. It is providing a good source of vitamins A and C, iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and phytochemicals, and it can be eaten raw in salads, steamed, boiled, or used in stir-fries, soups, and other cooked dishes. This video is being taken in Tehatta, West Bengal, India, on July 21, 2025.