In warm climates the plant is perennial, and will provide harvests for many years. The growth habit is spreading, with the floppy stems trailing on the ground.
Longevity spinach grows well in full sun or part shade. Growth slows or stops in cold weather, and a hard freeze will kill top growth, but in spring the plant quickly regenerates from the root system.
Gynura procumbens is native to the Philippines, Thailand and Indo-China. It is recommended for USDA Zones 9-11, but can be grown as an annual in colder locations.
In spring the plants go through a flowering cycle when little leafy growth occurs, but the plant is covered in orange blooms, attracting Monarch butterflies to the nectar. This plant is in the same genus as Okinawa spinach (Gynura crepiodes) and the houseplant known as Purple Passion (Gynura aurantiaca), and the flowers are clearly similar.
Buy longevity spinach cuttings!