Basella alba Select Red

Basella alba 'Select Red' is a variety of particularly ornamental Ceylon Spinach. This tropical vegetable plant, a climbing plant, has long, bright red stems, in contrast with its beautiful green foliage. It can reach a height of 4 to 6 metres (13 to 20 feet). Perennial in its country of origin, it is cultivated as an annual in cooler climates for its foliage, which can be consumed raw, in salads, or cooked like spinach, or even infused. Cultivate it in a sheltered place, in regions with hot summers, as it stops growing below 14°C (57.2°F). It is sown from March to April for a harvest 3 months later.

Basella has been cultivated in China, Japan, and India since the Middle Ages. Widely grown in tropical regions, it thrives in heat. This climbing plant develops round and fleshy stems that stretch up to 2 to 6 metres (7 to 20 feet) in height. They wrap around a support. Its ornamental and edible leaves are ovate or heart-shaped, thick and wavy. It blooms in spikes of small white to violet flowers with little interest in early summer, followed by round red berries with strong colouring power. Its young shoots are consumed raw, finely chopped in salads, and the fleshy leaves are quickly cooked and used as spinach. It also works well in soups and stews.

Basella will require fertiliser (3kg/m²) with well-decomposed manure and compost in late autumn or early spring.

Harvest and storage: For immediate use, the leaves are harvested as needed.

The gardener's tip: Basella is a very beautiful ornamental plant that appreciates being trained along a sunny wall.