is malabar spinach a nightshade
or Malabar spinach (Basella alba), an annual or biennial climbing plant of the family Basel-laceae. Malabar nightshade is of Indian origin. It grows 1.5â2 m tall. Its leaves and stem are succulent and fleshy. Malabar nightshade is raised in tropical and subtropical countries for its young shoots, which are boiled and used as a substitute for spinach. The juice of the fruit is used for food dyes.