FACTOID # 52: The fourteen unhappiest countries are all in Eastern Europe.
 
 Home   Encyclopedia   Statistics   Countries A-Z   Flags   Maps   Education   Forum   FAQ   About 
 
WHAT'S NEW
RECENT ARTICLES
More Recent Articles »
 

SEARCH ALL

FACTS & STATISTICS   

Search encyclopedia, statistics and forums:

 

 

(* = Graphable)

 

 


Encyclopedia > Basella alba

Basella alba

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Basellaceae
Genus: Basella
Species: B. alba
Binomial name
Basella alba
L.

Basella alba is a perennial vine found in the tropics where it is widely used as a leaf vegetable. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1244 KB) 木耳菜及其花。 Shizhao2005年摄于诸暨乡间。 File links The following pages link to this file: Basella alba ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... For other uses, see Plant (disambiguation). ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Magnoliopsida is the botanical name for a class: this name is formed by replacing the termination -aceae in the name Magnoliaceae by the termination -opsida (Art 16 of the ICBN). ... Families Achatocarpaceae Aizoaceae (Fig-marigold family) Amaranthaceae (amaranth family) Ancistrocladaceae Asteropeiaceae Barbeuiaceae Basellaceae (basella family) Cactaceae (cactus family) Caryophyllaceae (carnation family) Dioncophyllaceae Droseraceae (sundew family) Drosophyllaceae Frankeniaceae Molluginaceae (carpetweed family) Nepenthaceae Nyctaginaceae (four-oclock family) Physenaceae Phytolaccaceae (pokeweed family) Plumbaginaceae (plumbago family) Polygonaceae (buckwheat family) Portulacaceae (purslane family) Rhabdodendraceae... Genera Anredera Basella Boussingaltia Ullucus Basellaceae is a family of typically succulent, mucilaginous, herbaceous, perennial, vining plants. ... genera see text Basellaceae is the botanical name for a family of flowering plants. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 23, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Red Valerian, a perennial plant. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Fresh Swiss chard Fresh water spinach Creamed spinach Steamed kale Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. ...

Contents

Description

Basella alba is a fast-growing, soft-stemmed vine, reaching 10 m in length. Its thick, semi-succulent, heart-shaped leaves have a mild flavour and mucilaginous texture. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Succulent plants, or succulents, are plants that store water in their enlarged fleshy leaves, stems, or roots. ...


Uses

Food

The vegetable is used in Chinese cuisine. Its many names include flowing water vegetable (潺菜, Mandarin chāncài, Cantonese saan choy, shan tsoi), fallen hollyhock (落葵 Mandarin luokui, Cantonese lor kwai), wood ear vegetable (木耳菜 muercai) and emperor vegetable (帝王菜 diwangcai). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Species See text. ...


In Africa, the mucilagenous cooked shoots are most commonly used.[1]


Although it is only distantly related to the vegetable spinach, it is commonly known as Malabar-, Ceylon-, Indian-, East-Indian-, Surinam-, Chinese-, or Vietnamese spinach. It is also known in English as Malabar nightshade or Malabar climbing spinach, broad bologi, and buffalo spinach. Its Bengali name is pui saag, its Konkani name is valchi bhaji, and in Telugu it is called bachhali. In Vietnamese it is called mồng tơi. Binomial name Spinacia oleracea L. Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. ... Bengali or Bangla (IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit languages. ... Konkani is a term used to refer both to a language and to an Indian ethnic group. ... Telugu (తెలుగు) is a Dravidian language (South-Central Dravidian languages) primarily spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. ...


Typical of leaf vegetables, it is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, and high in protein per calorie. The succulent mucilage is a particularly rich source of soluble fiber, thought to remove mucus and toxins from the body. The plant is also a rich source of chlorophyll. Vitamin A is an essential human nutrient. ... This article is about the nutrient. ... For other uses, see Iron (disambiguation). ... General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 40. ... Mucilage is a thick gluey substance, often produced by plants. ... Dietary fibers are long-chain carbohydrates (polysaccharides) that are indigestible by the human digestive tract. ...


Among many other possibilities, Malabar spinach may be used to thicken soups or stir-fried with garlic and chile peppers. For other uses, see Soup (disambiguation). ... Stir frying (爆 bào) in a wok Stir frying is an English umbrella term used to describe two fast Chinese cooking techniques: chǎo (炒) and bào (爆). The term stir-fry was introduced into the English language by Buwei Yang Chao, in her book How to Cook and Eat in... Binomial name L. Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. ... The chile pepper, chili pepper, or chilli pepper, or simply chile, is the fruit of the plant Capsicum from the nightshade family, Solanaceae. ...

ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1254 KB) 木耳菜的种子 Shizhao2005年摄于诸暨乡间。 File links The following pages link to this file: Basella alba ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1254 KB) 木耳菜的种子 Shizhao2005年摄于诸暨乡间。 File links The following pages link to this file: Basella alba ...

References

  1. ^ Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

  Results from FactBites:
 
Red-Stemmed Malabar Spinach—A Deliciously Stunning Vine (753 words)
Basella alba goes by many other common names besides Malabar spinach, including Ceylon spinach, Indian spinach, vine spinach, and Malabar nightshade.
Native to India and Indonesia (Malabar is a coastal region in southwestern India), the plant is used in traditional cuisines as far westward from its point of origin as Japan and eastward as Africa.
Basella alba prefers a humus-rich, sandy loam in full sun.
ActivaTe Xtreme Designer Supplements (2917 words)
Basella alba or ‘Ceylon spinach’ (not to be confused with ‘Red Ceylon spinach’ aka ‘basella rubra’) is a leafy vegetable typically grown in tropical regions.
Basella alba is incredibly interesting as it has been shown to increase serum testosterone and also increase bodyweight in the rat model.
Further research in vivo has demonstrated that basella alba appears to exert these effects by stimulating the Leydig cells directly to produce testosterone.
  More results at FactBites »

 

COMMENTARY     


Share your thoughts, questions and commentary here
Your name
Your location
Your comments
Please enter the 5-letter protection code


Lesson Plans | Student Area | Student FAQ | Reviews | Press Releases |  Feeds | Contact
The Wikipedia article included on this page is licensed under the GFDL.
Images may be subject to relevant owners' copyright.
All other elements are (c) copyright NationMaster.com 2003-5. All Rights Reserved.
Usage implies agreement with terms.