Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets

Vigna umbellata

Edible : Seeds, Leaves, Pods, Sprouted Seeds, Vegetable,

A herb. It is a climbing bean plant with a slender hairy vine. It is twining and an annual plant. It grows from seed each year. It grows to 1.5-3 m long. Stems are hairy. Leaves have 3 leaflets which can vary in shape. They are mostly oval and 3-13 cm long by 1.5-7 cm wide. They taper towards the tip and are rounded at the base. Usually they are hairy. The leaf stalks are 3-16 cm long. Flowers are about 1.5 cm long in dense cone shaped clusters. These flowering stalks can be 3-10 cm long. The flowers are yellow. The fruit are straight pods about 10 cm long and 5 mm wide. Seeds are small (5-8 mm long) and yellow to brown. The pods split open easily. The seeds can be yellow, green, brown, red, black or mottled.

A tropical plant. It grows from 0-1800 m altitude in the tropics. It suits wet climates. It occasionally becomes self sown in coastal grasslands. It needs a sunny protected position. They are drought and frost tender. It can grow in arid places.

Common names : Rice bean, Climbing-mountain-bean, Beli, Be-nauk, Be-pwe, Be-sang, Be-te, Be-tyel, Dau-gao, Dau nhonhe, Frijol de arroz, Ghurush, Gurounsk, Haricot riz, Kachang enjing, Kachang ruji, Kachang sepalit, Kachang uchi, Katjang otji, Mambi-bean, Masyan, Masyang ko dal, Mugi tasud, Ning krung-shapre, Oriental-bean, Pau maia, Pe-nauk-saung, Pe-yin, Red bean, Reisbohne, Rumbaiya, Sanndaek angkat miehs, Shima tsuru azuki, Sita mas, Sutri, Tua deng, Tua pe, Tua pi,

Synonyms : 

Azukia umbellata (Thunb.) Ohwi;
Dolichos umbellatus Thunb.;
Phaseolus calcaratus Roxb.;
Phaseolus ricciardus Ten.;
Vigna calcarata (Roxb.) Kurz;
Vigna papuana Bak.f.;
Vigna ricciardiana
Delandia umbellata (Thunberg) S. Y. Hu;
and others

Vigna mungo

Edible : Leaves, Seeds, Pods, Vegetable,

A small annual bean with hairy pods. It is an erect herb 20-80 cm tall. Sometimes the stems are twining. The stems have dense yellow or rusty hairs. Leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are oval and 3-10 cm long by 1-5.5 cm wide. The leaf stalks are long but the leaflets stalks are short. Flowers are yellow. They are 1-2 cm long in dense flower clusters. The fruit is a pod 4-7 cm long. They are 5-6 mm wide. Seeds are small and black. There are 4 to 10 seeds per pod. Seeds are 4-4.5 mm long by 4 mm wide. They have square ends.

A tropical plant. Mainly coastal but probably will grow up to 1800 m altitude in the tropics. It suits dry areas. It is drought resistant. It is grown in areas with rainfall of 900 mm per year. It cannot stand frost or long periods of cloud. It is not suited to the wet tropics. In Nepal they grow to 2000 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.

Common names : Mung bean, Urd, Black gram, Adad, Akwa sos, Arad, Banmasyang, Dau muong-an, Dengu, Karu-minimulu, Maga, Mas, Mash kalai, Masha, Matimah, Mat-pe, Minumulu, Nallaminumulu, Pani-payir, Tikari kalai, Uddu, Udid, Ulundu, Ullundu, Undu, Urad, Urd dhal, Urdi, Uzhunnu,

Synonyms :

Phaseolus mungo L. non Roxb., & auct.;
Azukia mungo (L.) Masamune;
Phaseolus radiatus Roxb., non Linn.;
Phaseolus hernandezii Savi;
Phaseolus roxburghii Wight & Arnott;

Vigna marina

Edible : Root, Leaves, Pods, Seeds - drink, Vegetable,

A climbing or scrambling herb. It can grow to several metres long. The stems can be hairy. The leaflets are rounded. They are 3.5-9.5 cm long by 2.5-7.5 cm wide. The leaf stalks are 2-11 cm long. The flowering stems are erect. They can be 4-10 cm long. The flower is yellow but often green when young. The flowers are 1.2 cm long. The fruit are narrow pods which are slightly curved. They are 4-6 cm long and 8-9 mm wide. They are constricted between the seeds. There are 2-6 seeds. The seeds are brown or red. They are oblong and 6-7 mm long by 5-6 mm wide.

A tropical plant. It occurs just above high tide mark on sandy beaches. It occurs throughout the tropics. It is salt tolerant. It grows on atolls.

Common names : Dune bean, Marine vine, Beach bean, Beach cowpea, Erekogo, Fue sina, Kachang laut, Kodeppayam, Lau fue fue, Lima karal, Markinenjojo, Mekaral, Notched cowpea, Pe-dalet-yaing, Pudalangai, Taut-tul, Te kitoko,

Synonyms : 

Phaseolus marinus Burman;
Phaseolus obovatus Gagnepain;
Calicysthus volubilis Endl.;
Scytalis anomala E. Meyer;
Scytalis retusa E. Meyer;
Vigna anomala Walp.;
Vigna lutea (Sw.) A. Gray;
Vigna retusa (E.Meyer) Walp.;

Asparagus officinalis

Edible: Leaves, Shoots, Vegetable, Roots, Seeds - coffee, Vegetable

A herb. A perennial plant with leaves like a feather and an underground root stock. It grows to 1.5 m high and spreads to 1 m across. The stems are erect but often hang over at the tips. The branches are soft. The leaves are feathery and a rich green colour. The flowers are small and greenish. They are of both sexes and occur either singly or in clusters of 2-4. The fruit are red berries. They are produced on female plants. They are 7-8 mm across. There are 2 or 3 seeds.

It is a temperate or Mediterranean plant. It needs a temperature of 16-24°C for good growth. It needs a lower temperature for 60-100 days when the plants are dormant. In Papua New Guinea it is grown mainly in the highlands at over 1000 m altitude in the tropics. It grows up to 2600 m. It can be grown on the tropical coast with special management. It prefers humus rich, moist, well drained soils. It does best in an open sunny position. It is frost resistant but drought tender. A pH of 6-6.8 is suitable. In China it grows naturally on the steppes in NW Xinjiang. It suits hardiness zones 4-8.

Common Names: Asparagus, Asparges, Ayrelli, Esparrago, Halyum, Hathavariya, Hillua, Kannyut, Katsitsimzukwa, Nag-down, Shi diao bai, Sotomool, Sparanghel, Sparoga, Tsnebek, Tsnepak

Synonyms: 

Asparagus longifolius Fisch. ex Steud;
Asparagus officinalis var. altilis L.;
Asparagus polyphyllus Steven

Asplenium nidus

Edible: Leaves, Fronds

An evergreen fern. It grows to 1.5 m high and spreads 3 m across. It can grow by feeding on other plants. It forms nest like bowls on the upper side of branches. The underground thickened horizontal stem is dark brown and short. It is covered with blackish scales. The roots are hairy. The fronds grow out from a central point so that the fern forms rounded tussocks. The fronds are simple and entire and sword shape. The fronds can be 2 m long and up to 20 cm wide. They are dark or yellowish green. They have a raised, bluntly rounded mid vein.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in well drained moist soils. It prefers a well protected partly shaded position but not heavy shade. It is drought and frost tender. It occurs on many atolls. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens. In Brisbane Botanical Garden as Asplenium antiquum.

Common Names: Bird’s Nest Fern, Crows Nest fern, Beluve, Chath, Daun semum, Dovidovitaneia, Ekaha, Galak, Gnezdnati sršaj, Kadaka, Kardoap, Karedep, Kartop, Kukulufi, Lau gadaha, Laugapapa, Laukatafa, Laukatapa, Laulu, Lau mea, Luku, Mihlihklihk, Nnuk, Pakis sarang burung, Paku langsuyarm, Paku pandan, Paku sarang burung, Rajang, Rumah langsuyar, Sehlik, Selimbur, Simbar merah, Tehnlik

Synonyms: Asplenium antiquum Makino;
Asplenium australasicum (J. Sm.) Hook.;
Asplenium ficifolium Goldm.;
Neottopteris antigua (Makino) Masam.;
Neottopteris australasica J. Sm.;
Neottopteris mauritiana Fee;
Neottopteris musaefolia J. Sm.;
Neottopteris nidis (L.) J. Smith;
Neottopteris rigida Fee;
Thamnopteris nidus (L.) C. Prsel

Asystasia gangetica

Edible: Leaves, Stems, Flowers, Vegetable

An erect herb. It can clamber over other objects. It can keep growing from year to year. It can also be grown each year from seed. It grows 60-100 cm high. The leaves are oval or heart shaped. They are 3-6 cm long. The flowers are bell shaped. They have lobes which flare out. They are light violet with a light yellow throat. They can be all yellow. They occur in spikes. The flowers are 3-5 cm wide. The fruit is a capsule that splits open. It is cylinder shaped and 2.5 cm long.

It is a tropical plant. It grows near Chennai in India. It grows naturally in India and Malaysia and probably East Africa. It prefers moderate moisture but can tolerate dry periods. It can grow in full sun or light shade. It grows in the lowlands. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In Yunnan.

Common Names: Chinese violet, Aconge, Acongwe wang-gweno, Acwe, Anamala, Akoussimekpe, Atchelekman, Atolleta, Azeman, Avokombiby, Candindjaon, Coromandel, Degnuman, Ecoto, Enkosida, Futsure, Futswe, Ganges primrose, Ganges-violet, Hedul, Huyet bo, Isihobo, Kianjoro, Lanjokobi, Lavana-valli, Liman, Lobiri, Mampody vady, Medday keerai, Mella, Midchy keeray, Mungera tappeta, Namu, Nasubgwi, Odipa ikong, Oak oumsrab, Omigalin, Owuru, Pobunga, Redampa, Tala-kushe, Temba, Tikini, Torbol, Tropical primrose, Tropical violet, Umegarin, Upputhali, Yefe

Synonyms:

Asystasia coromandelina Wight ex Nees;
Asystasia podostachys Klotzsch;
Asystasia violacea Dalz. non C.B.Clarke;
Justicia gangetica L.;

Atriplex hortensis

Edible: Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable

An annual herb. It grows up to 2 m tall and spreads 40-50 cm wide. The leaves are triangular. They are greyish green. They can be red or yellow. They are 10-15 cm long and have small teeth along the edge. The flowers are in clusters at the ends of the plant. These can be 20 cm long. They are green or red but insignificant. The fruit are very small brown plate like seeds. There are several named cultivated varieties.

It is a temperate or Mediterranean plant. It is best in nitrogen rich soils. It can tolerate salty conditions. It suits hardiness zones 6-11. Tasmania Herbarium.

Common Names: Mountain spinach, Garden orache, Sea Purslane, Armuelle, Butter leaves, Chakotte soppu, Chakwat, Chandanbatva, Fat hen, French spinach, Garden orache, Juri, Korake, Labada, Labat, Lebeda, Loboda, Natina, Paharipalang, Pahari palak, Pepeljuga, Pezik otu, Suraka, Surake, Thoya kura, Thoyah-keeray, Tuinmelde, Yu qian bo cai

Synonyms: 

Atriplex acuminata M. Bieb.;
Atriplex atrosanguinea Voss;
Atriplex heterantha Wight;
Atriplex hortensis var. rubra L.;
and others

Azadirachta indica

Edible: Fruit, Leaves, Flowers, Sap, Caution, Vegetable, Seeds, Seeds - oil

A medium sized tree. It grows to 5-18 m high. It has deep roots and normally keeps its leaves except when there is strong drought. The tree has a straight trunk and a rounded spreading crown. The bark is thick and grey. It is smooth when young and cracked when old. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are up to 35 cm long. They are made up of 7-17 leaflets. There is an odd number of leaflets. Each leaflet is 6-8 cm long. They are oblique with teeth along the edge. The flowers are small and white. Many flowers occur on branched stalks. The fruit are oval and smooth. They are 1.5 cm long by 1 cm wide. They are green when young but turn yellow or brown at maturity. There is one seed inside and it has a thick seed coat.

A tropical plant. It occurs in most of Africa in both wet and dry areas. It is salt tolerant. It grows in the Sahel. It originally comes from India. They can stand temperatures up to 49°C. Temperatures below freezing kill the plant. In Africa trees mostly grow between 50 an 1500 m altitude. They do best in dry subtropical climates. It will grow on dry shallow soils but grows on most kinds of soils. It can grow in soils with pH of 5 but does best with pH of 6.2. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Common Names: Neem tree, Bevu, Dogon yaro, Geed hindi, Hithigas, Indian lilac, Ka dau, Kadu-nimb, Limba, Limbo, Limdo, Mahaneem, Mandvi, Margosa tree, Mirimiri, Neem dari, Niem, Nim, Nimba, Nimbay, Nimboni, Nimkauli, Nimpata, Nimu, Phak ka dao, Phak ki nin, Phak sdau, Pichumarda, Sadao, Sau dau, Sdao, Sdav, Svay reanov, Tama, Tamaga, Turi forta, Vapa chettu, Vembu, Vepa, Veypa marum,

Synonyms: 

Antelea azadirachta (L.) Adelb.;
Azadirachta indica va. siamensis Valeton;
Melia azadirachta L.;
Melia indica Brand.

Vicia faba

Edible : Seeds, Leaves, Pods, Vegetable, Flowers,

An upright plant up to 1 m tall. Plants vary in height from 30 cm to 180 cm. It has a well developed taproot. It has square stems which are hollow. They have wings at the angles. There can be 1-7 branches from near the base of the plant. The leaves have leaflets along the leaf stalk and ending in a short point. There are 2-6 leaflets. These are 5-10 cm long. Flowers occur in the axils of leaves and there are 1-6 flowers on a stalk. The flowers are white with black spots. Pods are large and fat and contain several large beans inside. The pods are 5-10 cm long in field varieties and can be 30 cm long in garden varieties. They are fleshy with a white velvety lining. They become tough and hard at maturity. The seeds can vary a lot in shape and size. They can be flat or rounded and white, green, brown, purple or black. They are 1-2.6 cm long. The hilum along the seeds is prominent.

A temperate plant. It is only suitable for the highlands over about 1200 m. in the tropics. It mainly occurs between 1900 and 2700 m altitude in equatorial zones. It is frost tolerant. It is resistant to drought. It can grow with temperatures down to 4°C. In the lowland hot tropics it often flowers but does not set seed. It requires fertile soils. It does best with adequate lime. It needs a pH of 6.4-7.2. It can tolerate some salinity. In Nepal they grow to 1800 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 8-10. In Yunnan.

Common names : Broad bean, Faba bean, Anhuri, Bakala, Bakla, Bakulaa simi, Bakulla, Balka sem, Bob, Bosa-pe, Can dou, Chas tang, Chastang raiun, Chilow, Dau rang-ngua, Dicke boohne, Fava, Favas, Fave, Faveira, Feve, Field bean, Haba, Hende matar, Horse bean, Kabli bakla, Kadu huralikayee, Kala matar, Katun, Makhon shim, Mattz-rewari, Nakshan, Pe-let-ma, Pervatha, Raj-rawan, San-du-si, San-to-pe, Sau bohne, Sora mame, Tau-ke, Tayok-pe, Thua yang, Tick bean, Tsaam dou, Tsertsvi,

Synonyms :

Faba bona Medikus;
Faba faba (L.) House;
Faba major Desf.;
Faba minor Roxb.;
Faba sativa Bernh.;
Faba vulgaris var. major Harz;
Vicia faba var. major (Harz) Beck;
Vicia esculenta Salisb.;
Vicia vulgaris Gray;

Ulmus parvifolia

Edible : Fruit, Inner bark, Leaves,

An elm tree. It grows 15 m tall. It is spreading and loses many of its leaves during the year. The branches tend to hang down. The trunk has smooth bark which flakes off showing orange brown patches. It has small leaves. The leaves are narrowly oval and 6 cm long by 4 cm wide. They are unequal at the base. The leaves are pointed and have sharp teeth. They are glossy dark green above with hairs underneath. They turn yellow, red, or purple in autumn. The flowers are very small and red. They are in clusters in the axils of leaves. The fruit is a small seed with wings. It is 8 mm long.

It is a temperate plant. It is native to E. Asia and grows in rocky places. In China it grows below 800 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 5-10. Arboretum Tasmania.

Common names : Chinese elm, Lang Yu,