Spinach grown in India

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Momj Mason, OH Apr 09, 2017

My mother in law is from India. She often complains of the difference in vegetables here and there. For example she says that the spinach in India is a thinner leaf and creamier to eat.

Here in the US we know spinach to be a cool season crop...But they grow spinach all year in India she says and even in the south. This puzzles me and I assume it's a different variety.

I've been looking up spinach varieties in India... I've found they plant named varieties: Pusa Bharati and Pusa Jyoti, but I can't find a scientific name or any information to find an equivalent common name in English. (This website explains how it's a hot season crop??? http://www.agrifarming.in/spinach-farming-in-india/ )

I also thought maybe it was an alternative spinach like New Zealand Spinach?

Any ideas?

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Disco77 May 11, 2017

Quote from Momj :
My mother in law is from India. She often complains of the difference in vegetables here and there. For example she says that the spinach in India is a thinner leaf and creamier to eat.

Here in the US we know spinach to be a cool season crop...But they grow spinach all year in India she says and even in the south. This puzzles me and I assume it's a different variety.

I've been looking up spinach varieties in India... I've found they plant named varieties: Pusa Bharati and Pusa Jyoti, but I can't find a scientific name or any information to find an equivalent common name in English. (This website explains how it's a hot season crop??? http://www.agrifarming.in/spinach-farming-in-india/ )

I also thought maybe it was an alternative spinach like New Zealand Spinach?

Any ideas?


Definitely a different variety from what we know as spinach.

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Cville_Gardener Clarksville, TN(Zone 7a) May 11, 2017

Is she referring to Basella alba?

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Handroanthus Lynnwood, WA Jan 29, 2018

Yes Malabar spinach would definitely be creamier, I have grown it and its nothing like Spinacia. Unless she is in the high lands, it is not likely that she is growing spinach like that found in the West. It is more likely that she is growing Beta vulgaris var.bengalensis I believe all of the Pusa (aka Palak) types are forms of that

if you could find var. maritima you could try that or perhaps the leaves of sugar beet may prove to be creamy enough to satisfy her tastes. I know when I was a market gardener, the only greens that many of our customer's children would eat were sugar beet greens good luck

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