Some 3 billion people in the world live outside the cash economy in the world’s poorest nations. Food security and regular supply are their daily concerns. Chronic malnutrition is a leading cause of death and disease for them. Young children are amongst the most affected. One child every 5-10 seconds dies from undernutrition. Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness for someone every minute. Most people in tropical and subtropical countries are iron deficient.
Our goal is to provide information that enables people to choose the right plant for their environment, to give them stable food production and a greater choice of plants to enrich their diets and improve their nutritional wellbeing.
The plant fact sheets listed in this collection are only a small portion of those available from FPI. Please check your plant inquiries in the ECHO Search and reference the FPI plant database for further information.
Most of the plants selected to list here are further described in country-specific publications by Food Plant Solutions (FPS in the Search).
8000 Starchy Staples
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6000 Leafy Greens
5000 Fruits
4000 Vegetables
3000 Nuts, Seeds, Herbs, and other foods
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Spathodea campanulata
Edible : Seeds, Flowers,
A tree. It grows 25-30 m high. The bark is light grey. It forms buttresses. Leaves are opposite. The branches are rather short. In moist climates it may keep its leaves and in dry climates it may shed its leaves for a short time. The leaves are compound and divided into an odd number of leaflets. There are 9-19 pairs + one. The leaflets are oval and sword shaped. They have a long point. They are 5-10 cm long by 4-8 cm wide. The flower buds are velvety brown. They are in cone like masses at the ends of branches. The flowers are large and scarlet red. The flowers are wide and bell shaped. The fruit is a long, pointed woody pod. It is 20 cm long. It contains many winged seeds.
A tropical plant. It grows naturally in tropical Africa. It has been spread to all parts of the tropics. In Nigeria it grows up to 900 m above sea level. It grows in forest along river banks. It suits plant hardiness zones 11-12. In XTBG Yunnan.
Common names : African Tulip Tree, Ar-fri-ka-hyu-lit-pin, Arvore das chamas, Cafauano, Culasseque, Flame of the Forest, Flame tree, Fountain tree, Gabonski tulipovec, Hirunduni, Kibobakasi, Kifabakazi, Lujjekaye, Masamasa, Mukulukulu, Munsasa, Nandi flame, Neerukaye, Nsasa mpwatu, Panchut-panchut, Patade, Patadi, Patadiya, Piquerio, Pohon cahaya hutan, Pohon kecrutan, Rugtoora, Scarlet bell tree, Sebetaiyet, Squirt tree, Sula-selo, Suncunde, Teme, Tombo-lembei, Tulip tree, Tumbo-lembei, Zowa zowa,
Synonyms :
Bignonia tulipifera Schum.;
Spathodea nilotica Seemann;
Spathodea tulipifera (Schum.) G. Don;
and others
Cassia bakeriana
Edible : Seeds
A broadleaf evergreen tree. It grows 7-10 m tall. The leaves are large and compound with leaflets along the stalk. There are 5-7 pairs of leaflets. these are oblong with round tips and are 5-8 cm long. The flowers are pink to purple. The stamen are yellow. There are in long drooping stalks with 20-40 flowers in a group. The fruit are bean like pods. These are 40 cm long and have 30-40 seeds.
It is a tropical plant. It suits hardiness zones 10-11.
Common names : Pink shower tree, Wishing tree,
Cinnamomum burmannii
Edible: Bark, Leaves, Spice
A tree. It grows 4-11 m tall. The trunk can be 30 cm across. The bark is smooth and dark grey. It is red and cassia scented inside. The small branches are slender and green. The leaves are alternate and oval or sword shaped. They are 5.5-10.5 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. They are leathery. The flower stalk is shorter than the leaves. The fruit are berries 5-7 mm across. They are blue.
A tropical plant. It grows in forests and along streams between 100-1400 m altitude in China in the southern regions. In XTBG Yunnan.
Common Names: Batavia cassia, Batavia cinnamon, Caneleira, Kami, Korintje cinnamon, Mindanao cinnamon, Padang cassia, Pohon kayumanis, Yin xiang
Synonyms:
Cinnamomum ammannii Lukman.;
Cinnamomum chinense Blume;
Cinnamomum dulcis (Roxb.) Sweet;
Cinnamomum chinense Bl.;
Cinnamomum hainanense Nakai;
Cinnamomum kiamis Nees;
Cinnamomum mindanaense Elmer;
Cinnamomum thunbergii Lukman;
Cinnamomum miaoshanense S. Lee & F.N. Wei; ?
Laurus burmannii C.G. & Th. Nees;
Laurus dulcis Roxb.;
Cinnamomum camphora
Edible: Leaves, Bark, Root
A tree. It grows to 36 m high. It keeps its leaves throughout the year. It has a rounded crown 15 m wide. The trunk is short with scaly, grey bark. The trunk can be 3 m across. The whole plant has a strong camphor smell. The bark is yellow brown with cracks along it. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are pink when young. They turn green with age. The leaf stalk is slender. The leaf blade is 6-12 cm long by 2.5-5.5 cm wide. The flower cluster is in the axils of leaves. Flowers are green-white or yellow. The fruit are round. They are greyish-black.
It grows in tropical and subtropical locations. It needs a well drained, fertile, sandy loam. It does best in coller locations but needs a temperature above 9°C. In tropical Queensland it grows from 650-1000 m altitude. It is grown in China in areas without a severe winter. In Melbourne Botanical Gardens. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. In Yunnan.
Common Names: Ai-kanfor, Camphor, Chuang, Ho wood, Kamfer, Kamifaoro, Kapoor, Kapur, Karppuram, Karpur, Karpurammu, Kuqmiqsail, Long nao, Mushkapur, Noknamu, Payok, Payuk, Pohon kapur barus, Ravinsara, Re, Zhang, Zhangshu
Synonyms:
Camphora camphora (L.) H. Karst.;
Camphora officinarum Nees;
Cinnamomum simondii Lec.;
Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Sieb. var. nominale Hayata ex Matsum;
Cinnamomum camphora (L.) Nees & Eberm. var. glaucescens (Braun.) Meissn.;
Laurus camphora L.;
Persea camphora Spreng.;
and others
Gigantochloa albociliata
Edible : Shoots, Vegetable,
A densely tufted bamboo. It grows 2-10 m tall. The stems are 2-7 cm across. It can shed its leaves during the dry season. The internodes are 20-35 cm long. There are several unequal branches at a node. The leaf blade is 15-20 cm long by 2-3 cm wide.
A tropical plant. It grows in tropical rainforests between 500-800 m above sea level in Yunnan in China. In Thailand it grows between 150-800 m above sea level.
Common names : White-fringed gigantochloa, Bai mao ju zhu, Laix, Maihoushuan, Phai khai, Phai-rai, Phai-ruaklek, Russei khlei, Wa-hpyu-ka-le,
Synonyms :
Dendrocalamus albociliata (Munro) J. L. Sun;
Oxytenanthera albociliata Munro;
Pseudotenanthera albociliata (Munro) R. B. Majumdar;
Pseudotenanthera albociliata (Munro) T. Q. Nguyen;
Pseudotenanthera albociliata (Munro) R. B. Majumdar;
Cinnamomum iners
Edible: Bark, Spice, Fruit, Leaves
A large tree. It grows to 20 m high. The trunk can be 20 cm across. The leaves are opposite, smooth and leathery. The leaf blades are 12-35 cm long by 5.5-8.5 cm wide. New flushes of leaves follow rain and are reddish pink. They are rounded at the base and taper to the tip. The flowers are yellowish and borne in compound flower clusters. The fruit is oval. It is 10 cm long by 7 cm wide. It is greenish when fresh.
It is a tropical plant. They occur in Mindanao, Tawi-tawi, Samar, Palawan and Mindanao in the Philippines. In southern China it grows between 140 and 1000 m altitude. In Yunnan.
Common Names: Adavi lavangapatte, Da ye gui, Jangli-darchini, Kattuk-karuvappattai, Kayu manis, Ki kacengal, Lavangam, Medang kalong, Medang kemangi, Ob choe khiat, Pohon kayumanis alam, Pohon medangteja, Que rung, Ranachadalchini, Teja badak, Teja lawang, Teja, Tikhi
Synonyms:
Cinnamomum aromaticum Zoll.;
Cinnamomum curtisii Lukman.;
Cinnamomum gracile Miq.;
Cinnamomum griffithii Meisn.;
Cinnamomum manillarum Lukman;
Cinnamomum pseudosintok Miq.;
Cinnamomum rauwolfii Blume;
Cinnamomum reinwardtii Miq.;
Laurus malabathrica Roxb.;
Persea nitida Spreng.;
Cinnamomum eucalyptoides T.Nees; ?
Cinnamomum nitidum Blume; ?
Cinnamomum paraneuron Miq.; ?
Gymnema inodorum
Edible : Leaves,
A climbing shrub or creeper. It can grow 10-25 m long. The leaves are broadly oval and 4-14 cm long by 2-9 cm wide. The leaf stalk is 2-6 cm long. The flower petals are yellow and covered with small hairs. The follicle is 8-16 cm long by 3 cm wide. It has a small beak.
It is a tropical plant. It grows in thickets and secondary forests.
Cipadessa baccifera
Edible: Leaves, Fruit
A shrub. It grows to 1-5 m high. The leaflets along the stalk end with a leaflet at the end. The leaflets have short stalks. Leaflets are hairy on the upper surface. The flowers are small and green. They occur in the axils of leaves. The fruit are purple to black when ripe. They are round and 4-5 mm across.
A tropical and subtropical plant. In Nepal, plants grow 250-1700 m altitude. They grow in open places. In southern China it grows between 200-2,100 m above sea level. In XTBG Yunnan.
Common Names: Adusoge, Asare, Bugaino, Kaipanarangi, Nim india, Pittamari Pohon cipadesa, Pohon ranabili, Potti, Pullipancheddi, Savattu chedi, Sidigolii
Synonyms:
Melia baccifera Roth.;
Cipadessa cinerascens (Pellegr.) Hand.-Mazz.;
Cipadessa fruticosa Blume;
and others
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Edible : Leaves, Flowers, Vegetable,
A shrubby hibiscus used for hedges. It is a evergreen woody shrub. It grows to 2-5 m tall. The bark is grey and flaky. It has fine stripes. The leaves are bright green. They are oval and the edges of the leaves are entire on the lower leaves. The upper leaves are coarsely toothed. The leaves have long tips. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. Flowers can be single or double. They are bell shaped and 10-15 cm across. There are a range of colours. The fruit are rounded capsules with many seeds inside. The capsules are beaked. Plants usually do not produce fruit in the hot humid tropics.
A tropical and subtropical plant. A common ornamental throughout the tropics. It originally came from China. It thrives on any type of soil. It is tolerant of salinity. Different types are adapted to sunny or shady places. They grow where average temperatures are between 15-30°C. They are very sensitive to frost. They grow from sea level to 1000 m altitude. They probably require a minimum rainfall of 700 mm per year. It grows in Nepal to 1400 m altitude. It grows in open, moist places. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Common names : Hibiscus, Rose of China, Amapola, Aute samoa, Bup, Bunga raya, Bunga sepatu, Bussouge, Cha-baa, Chaba, Chembarathi, Chinese rose, Clavelon, Dam but, Dasavala, Dasindacha phula, Fasut jasum, Fu sang, Ghanti phul, Gugamela, Gumamela bulaklak, Japa, Jasavanda, Jasum, Jasut, Jasuva, Java pushpamu dasana, Java, Joba, Karibunamidi, Khaung-yan, Khaung-yan-ywet-hla, Kembang sepatu, Kembang sepatu mawar cina, Khubayzah, Kugra, Linyolo, Losi, Mamela, Mandaro, Mar pacifico, Mawkmnae, Pan-swe-le, Phurahong, Pushpam, Rakta puspi, Rooj, Rosa, Rudra, Saimaa, Sapattu mal, Semparuthi, Shoe flower, Te roti, Thelele, Vadamal, Watha wal, Woro wari, Zhu jin,
Synonyms :
Hibiscus arnottii Griff. ex Mast.;
Hibiscus boryanus DC.;
Hibiscus cooperi auct.;
Hibiscus festalis Salisb.;
Hibiscus liliiflorus Griff. ex Mast.;
Hibiscus rosiflorus Stokes;
Hibiscus storkii Seem.;
Cissampelos pareira
Edible: Tubers, Root, Caution, Stems, Leaves, Fruit
A woody vine or climber. The branches are slender. They are usually densely hairy. The leaves are simple and 5-12 cm long by 5-12 cm wide. The leaf stalk joins the leaf blade away from the edge. The leaf blade is papery. Plants are separately male and female. A group of flowers occur in the axils of leaves. The flowers have 1 petal and are cup shaped. They are white or yellow. The fruit is fleshy and yellow, orange or red. It is 5-7 mm long and wide. It is hairy. It occurs amongst bracts 1-2 cm long. There is 1 seed. It is brown and 4-5 mm long.
Variety pariera occur only in America and Africa. Variety hirsuta occurs in Asia.
They are tropical. In Pakistan it is common in hedges up to 2,300 m altitude. It can grow in arid places. In Yunnan.
Common Names: Abutua, Adivi banka tige, Akanadi, Ambashtha, Appatta, Bai maa noi, Batul paate, Bohivory, Caa peba, Charrua, Chutu lutur, Cipo, False pareira brava, Gasing-gasing, Gegasing, Hamafana, Kattuvalli, Krea manoi, Krue ma noi, Kywet-abaung, Mempanang, Mil hombres, Mulika chera, Padavali, Paharvel, Ranu red, Tabo, Venivel, Vishkhapri, Xi sheng teng, Zarza
Synonyms:
Cissampelos poilanei Gagn.;
Cissampelos microcarpa DC;
Cissampelos pannosa Turcz.;
Cissampelos hirsuta DC.;
and many others
