Malabar spinach plant isn’t a true spinach, but its foliage does indeed resemble that green leafy vegetable. Also known as Ceylon spinach, climbing spinach, gui, acelga trapadora, bratana, libato, vine spinach and Malabar nightshade, Malabar spinach is a member of the Basellaceae family. Basella alba is a green leaf variety while the red leaf variety belongs to the B. rubra species, which has purplish stems. If not spinach proper, what then is Malabar spinach? Malabar spinach plants grow in India and throughout the tropics, primarily in the moist lowlands. While the dark green leaves resemble those of spinach, this is a vine type of plant that thrives in hot temps, even exceeding 90 F. (32 C.) Cool temperatures cause Malabar spinach to creep. It is grown as an annual, but grows like a perennial in regions that are frost free.
