ALUGBATI
BASELLA RUBRA Linn.
Basella alba Linn.
Basella lucida Linn.
Basella cordifolia Lam.
Local names: Alugbati (Bis.); arogbati (Bik.); dundula (Sul.); grana (Tag.); ilaibakir (Ilk.); libato (Tag.); Malabar nightshade (Eng.); Lo k’uei (Chinese.).
Alugbati is found in settled areas, in hedges, old cultivated areas, etc., throughout the Philippines. It is certainly not a native of the Archipelago but is of prehistoric introduction. It occurs also in tropical Asia, Africa and Malaya, often cultivated.