Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Sauropus androgynus - Sweet Leaf
Edible portion : Leaves, Fruit, Flowers, Vegetable
A low growing shrub with small red flowers. It continues to grow from year to year. It grows 0.8-2 m tall. It can grow 6 m tall. It tends to grow upright then falls over due to its weight. It branches little. Compound leaves on the sides of the stems bear flowers along their underside. Male and female flowers are on the same plant. The flowers are in drooping clusters. The fruit are purple. The fruit are about 1 cm across and open and drop their seed at maturity.
A tropical plant. It occurs commonly in SE Asia. It can grow in partial shade or full sun. It suits the hot humid lowlands. It will grow in heavy clay soils and will grow in acid soils. In Java it grows up to 1,600 m above sea level. At MARDI. In Yunnan.