Poi / Indian Spinach
Basella alba
Also known as Malabar Spinach
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Poi
Identify Poi by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Basellaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Poi.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Basella alba
- Genus
- Basella
- Family
- Basellaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Native to
- Tropical Asia, Africa
- Distribution
- Tropical Asia, Africa often Cultivated
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Delhi, Nagaland, Odisha
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Local Names
- Hindi
- Poi पोई,पोई poi
- Bengali
- Pui Shaak, পুঁই শাক
- Tamil
- Vasalakkirai, பசளி
- Telugu
- బచ్చలి కూర
- Kannada
- ಬಸಲೆ, ಬಸಳೆ Basale, ಪೋತಕಿ Potaki, ಬಸಳೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು
- Malayalam
- Vasalaccira, വള്ളിച്ചീര, Basella alba
- Marathi
- Velbendi, मायाळू
- Sinhala
- නිවිති
About Poi
Indian spinach (Basella alba) is a climber in the Basellaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and 18 other states. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Uses
In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten and a source of dye or tannin.
Basellaceae
Basella Family
Poi belongs to the Basellaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Basellaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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