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General description and special characteristics – Sunn hemp is an erect, Photo: ECHO Asia staff annual legume with rapid, vigorous growth, bright yellow flowers, and plump,pubescent seed pods. The plant generally grows unbranched from the ground to approximately 60 cm (2 ft.) up the stem. Above...
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General description and special characteristics – Annual semi-hardy herb up to 1-2 m tall with bright orange or yellow flowers. Variety – Thung Khang Tong, a local Thai variety
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General description and special characteristics – Sometimes called the spinach tree, chaya is a fast-growing perennial shrub native to Mexico that produces large, dark green leaves. Relatively new to Asia, the young leaves and thick succulent stems of chaya are a good source of protein, calcium,...
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General description and special characteristics – Ivy gourd is a perennial vine with white, star shaped flowers and cucumber-like fruit which is green when immature and bright red when ripe. It is naturalized or native in Southeast Asia and East Africa, but is listed as an invasive weed in...
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General description and special characteristics – One of the oldest cultivated legumes on record, chickpea is a key ingredient in such well-known Asian and Middle-Eastern foods as humus, falafel, and Burmese (Shan) tofu. Chickpea is grown in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate regions. Two types...
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General description and special characteristics – Capsicum frutescens is a perennial growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.6 m(2ft). The flowers are hermaphroditic (have both male and female organs). It’s believed to have been cultivated in Bolivia and Meso-America as early as the 16th century. This...
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General description and special characteristics – Sword bean is known chiefly as a cultivated species and may have been derived by selection from Canavalia virosa, a wild species occurring principally in Africa. It is cultivated widely in South and Southeast Asia, especially in India, Sri Lanka,...
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General description and special characteristics – Jack bean is an annual legume. It is bushy (vines less than 1 meter (3 ft.) long), having a deep root system that makes it drought-tolerant. It produces large leaves and smooth pods (up to 30 cm/12 in. long) that yield large, smooth white seeds....
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General description and special characteristics – Malabar spinach is a perennial twining (or vining) herb grown for its tender stems and leaves, which can be cooked like spinach. The leaves and shoots are mucilaginous when cooked. Its fruits have been used for dyeing. Malabar spinach tolerates...
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General description and special characteristics – An upright, branched annual mainly grown forgrain. Young leaves and stems can be eaten like cooked spinach. The characteristically large inflorescences are bushy and somewhat droopy, containing many seeds which are high in protein. Varieties –...