Basella

noun

Ba·sel·la

bəˈselə,

-ˈze-

: a genus of herbaceous annual or biennial vines (the type of the family Basellaceae) having sessile flowers on thickened pedicels and being natives of tropical Asia and Africa where they are used as potherbs see malabar nightshade

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, borrowed from Malayalam paśaḷa, pacaḷa "Malabar nightshade"

Note: The Linnaean name (Species Plantarum, 1753, vol. 1, p. 272) is taken from the Hortus Malabaricus sponsored by Hendrik van Rheede, part 7 (Horti Malabarici pars septima, Amsterdam, 1688), plate 24 and p. 45.