Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets

Crassocephalum crepidioides

Edible: Leaves, Tubers, Root, Vegetable, Flowers

A herb. An upright, annual plant about 1 m tall. The stem is thick and soft. The leaves are alternate and 16-18 cm long. The leaves have lobes, and have teeth around the edge. Sometimes the young leaves have a purple edge. The leaves often droop. A flower is yellow and reddish, and develops at the top, bending over at first, then becoming upright. Fluffy seed heads develop after flowering. The fruit is dark brown, with long, silky hairs at the end. The seeds blow in the wind.

A tropical plant. A common weed in Papua New Guinea from sea level to over 2500 m. It is more common in wet areas and in garden sites. It also grows in many other tropical countries. It prefers light shade. At ECHO. In Yunnan. In Sichuan.

Common Names: Thickhead, Okinawan spinach, Agologolo, A ngung, Anikale jhar, Bab cherdik, Benibanaborogiku, Buar, Chopogon, Dong ma gun, Doyan-doyan, Ebolo, Ekinami, Fau lele, Fireweed, Ga la xing, Gbolo, Gbuluh fuka, Guan dong weu niu, Gyal-pa-ehn,Hogegain, Ibel, Impingi, Ingiri, Kagiji, Limbiti, Lisahuka, Marakapon, Miao kuo, Ming guo cao, Nroj rog, Nya heu bin, O mi o sa, Pakcho, Pan-sout-htoe, Phak kaad chang, Phakkoat chaang, Rau tau bay, Redflower ragleaf, Sandeko, Sapsapon, Sipinis, Sla ialieh, Spinat, Tamkahru, Tera paibi, Thangbang, Udu daya, Voi ngoai, Wondally, Ya ge la, Yamen, Yaxiehuo

Synonyms: 

Crassocephalum crepidioides var. lutea Steen.;
Crassocephalum crepidioides f. luteum (Steen.) Belcher;
Gynura crepidioides Benth.;
Gynura diversifolia Sch.Bip. ex Asch.;
Gynura microcephala Vatke;
Gynura polycephala Benth.;
Senecio crepidioides (Benth.) ;
 

Crateva religiosa

Edible: Seeds, Leaves, Flowers, Fruit

An evergreen or deciduous tree. It grows up to 7-15 m tall and 45 cm across the trunk. The tree spreads to 2-4 m across. The stem is erect and the bark is smooth, with branches low down. The leaves have long petioles, 2-9 cm long. The leaves are divided into 3 leaflets growing from the same point. The leaflets are pointed at the base and have a slender point at the tip. The two halves of the leaflets are unequal in size. The leaflets are 5-27 cm long by 3-10 cm wide. The leaves are light green. The flowers are white, then yellow, turning pale violet and they are large, up to 5-7 cm across. They are borne in large bunches 3-14 cm long. These are near the ends of branches. The fruit is rounded and about 6-15 cm long by 5-9 cm across. They are sausage shaped. The fruit is edible. There are many seeds, which are kidney shaped.

A tropical plant. It is native to SE Asia and Australia. It prefers moist soils and an open sunny position. It is drought and frost tender. It can tolerate temporary flooding. Found in waste places near streams and in areas of shrubs, near the sea from northern Luzon to Masbate and Palawan and probably also in Mindanao and Sulu Archipelago in the Philippines. In Nepal it grows to about 1500 m altitude. It needs a temperature above 15°C.

Common Names: Sacred garlic pear, Abeech, Abiyuch, Apuch, Apus, Balai-lamok, Bannya, Barna, Barun, Bidasi, Bun, Dala, Dangla hantu, Garlic pear, Gudai, Ingigido, Jaranan, Kadoppsung, Kemantu hitam, Kum nam, Lunuwarana, Naiko, Sipligan, Siplekan, Temple Plant, Three-leaved caper, Ungudidi, Ungududu, Varuna

Synonyms: 

Crateva brownii Korth. ex Miq.;
Crateva hansemannii K. Schum.;
Crateva macrocarpa Kurz;
Crateva magna (Lour.) DC.;
Crateva membranifolia Miq.;
Crateva religiosa var. vurnula (Buch.-Ham.) Hook.f. & Thomson;
Crateva speciosa Volkens;

Crinum asiaticum

Edible: Leaves, Caution

A bulb plant. It grows 1.2 m tall. The leaves are dark green and strap like. They are 1 m long and 10 cm wide. The flowers are tube shaped and white. They are in clusters on thick succulent stems. The stamens are purple.

It is a tropical plant. It suits light sandy soils. It must be grown in a sunny position. It grows in wetlands. It suits hardiness zones 7-10. In XTBG Yunnan. At MARDI.

Common Names: Spider lily, Giant crinum lily, Monsoon lily, Arsa, Asimbo, azijska Kljukasta lilija, Baking putih, Kep-tum, Kieb, Kyan-gyi, Krinum lili, Lau talotalo, Nagadamani, Pulattali, Sudarshan, Talotalo, Te kiebu, Vahondrahona, Visamimgil

Synonyms: 

Amaryllis camosa Hook.f.;
Bulbine asiatica (L.) Gaertn.;
and many others

Crotalaria juncea

Edible: Leaves, Flowers, Pods, Seeds

An evergreen shrub. It grows to 2.5 m high and spreads to 2 m across. The stem is erect, with silky hairs on the branches. The plant has a strong taproot. The roots have root nodules which have branches and lobes, and are 25 mm across. The leaves are narrow, simple and spirally arranged. The leaves can be 12 cm long and with short leaf stalks. The flowers are bright yellow and pea shaped. They occur in clusters of up to 20 blooms. The fruit is a short, inflated, light yellow pod. It is about 3 cm long and 1 cm wide. It is covered with soft hairs, has a groove on the upper surface and a beak at the end. The mature seeds are loose in the pod. They are dark grey, broad and flattened and hooked.

A tropical plant. It prefers light to medium well drained soils. It needs an open sunny position. It is drought resistant but frost tender. In Nepal it grows to about 1300 m altitude. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Common Names: Sunhemp, Boru, Bumpo, Ghore sun, Janumu, Kork tong, Oohawaimaton, Pan-paiksan, Pikesan, San, Sana, Sanabu, Sanai, Sanal, Sann hemp, Sannai sunn, Sannappu, Saun, Senabina soppu, Shon, Shonpat, Sunn hemp, Tag, Tum-thang, U Hawai matol, Vihagiguni, Wuckoo nar

Cyathula prostrata

Edible: Leaves, Vegetable

A herb which continues to grow from year to year. It can be upright or hanging over. It often lies along the ground. It grows up to 50-100 cm tall. The stem is slender, stiff and brittle. The stem is tinged red. It has many branches. These are thickened and often form roots at the nodes. The leaves are 1.5-10 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. They are narrowed below the middle. The leaf stalk is 2-12 mm long so the leaves appear to be attached directly to the stalk. The leaves often have red hairs underneath and near the veins. The flowers are mostly in one stalk. These arise from the axils of the upper leaves. These flower arrangements are 5-25 cm long. Along it the flowers are in clusters with 1-3 fertile flowers and some sterile ones. The fruit or seed is oval and about 1.5 mm long and shiny brown. The flower clusters have small hooks and these attach to things moving the seeds around.

A tropical plant. It occurs throughout the tropics. In Papua New Guinea the plant occurs between sea level and 1,200 m. Sometimes it grows up to 2,000 m. It grows in moist shady places. It can grow in arid places.

Common Names: Prostrate pastureweed, Prostrate burr-amaranth, Anghup merah, Bayam pasir, Bayam rusa, Bululu, Chaine d'enfant, Cherukadaladi, Cuocdai, Ekur kuching, Hamac de la biche, Jarang-jarang, Linilini Kyet-mauk-pyan, Menjarang, Nyarang puteh, Nyarang, Penjarang ayam, Penjarang, Rumput dayang, Senjarang, Temeku

Synonyms: 

Achyranthes prostrata L.;
Cyathula geniculata auct. non Lour.;
Cyathula pedicellata C. B. Clarke;
Desmochaeta prostrata (Linnaeus) De Candolle;
Pupalia prostrata (Linnaeus) C. Martius;

Cyclosorus interruptus

Edible: Heart, Fronds, Leaves, Roots

A medium sized fern. It grows 0.5-1.6 m high. It forms extensive spreading patches. The rootstock is creeping and has many branches. The fronds are erect, leathery and dark green. They can be 1 m long. The segments of the fronds are lobed and sword shaped. They are largest at the base of the frond. The largest leaflets are 8-15 cm long by 1-1.8 cm wide. They are leathery. There are hairs on the veins underneath the leaf. The stalk has papery scales on it. The fruit spot of spores are under the leaf in a zigzag line along the edge of the leaf.

A tropical plant. It grows in swamps. It can grow in wet clay soil and sunny locations. It can grow in drier areas with shade. It can stand frost. In Papua New Guinea it grows from sea level to 1,500 m altitude but mostly it is at low altitudes below 50 m. Geelong Botanical Gardens.

Common Names: Hottentot fern, Willdenow's fern, Kulhlhahavaali, Vao tuaniu

Synonyms: 

Aspidium unitum var. propinquum (R. Br.) F.M Bail.;
Cyclosorus gongylodes (Schkuhr) Link;
Cyclosorus gongylodes var. hirsutus (Mett.)Farwell;
Dryopteris gongylodes (Schkukr) O Kuntze;
Dryopteris gongylodes var. propinqua (R. Br.) v. Ald. v. Ros.;
Pteris interruptus Willd.;
Thelypteris interrupta (Willd.) K Iwats;
and others

Cynometra ramiflora

Edible: Leaves

A tree. It grows to 26 m high. The leaves are compound and alternate. The leaf stalks are 3-20 mm long. There are 2-4 leaflets and these are 1.2-20 cm long by 2.5-7.5 cm wide. The fruit is a brown pod. It is 3.5-4.5 mm long and 2.2-2.5 cm wide. It is warty and has one seed.

A tropical plant. It grows in swamps amongst the mangroves. It is best in humus-rich, moist, well-drained soils. It needs a protected, sunny position. It is damaged by frost or drought.

Common Names: Beach cynometra tree, Champrenh, Gulos, Irripa, Irudbu, Kanaga, Kekatong, Ketenguit, Kumou, Madhuka, Monable. Myinga, Nayppudukan, Pohon kateng, Pohon katong laut, Shingar, Ye-minga

Synonyms: 

Cynometra bijuga Span ex Miq.;
and others

Cyrtosperma merkusii

Edible: Corms, Root, Leaves, Vegetable

A large perennial taro family plant up to 2-3 m high, with the pointy ends to the leaf lobes. The leaves are very large, upright and with points on the bottom lobes. The leaf stalks are up to 2.5 m long and 10 cm across. The leaves are 1.5 m long. Other aspects of the plant can vary such as kinds which are more spiny on the leaf stalks than others. The plants can grow up to 4 metres tall. Under the ground there is a large fattened rhizome or corm. This is shaped liked a cylinder and can be up to 70 kg in size. The plant produces a large purple lily type flower which then produces a group of seeds which are orange in colour. The plant produces suckers. The number of suckers varies with varieties.

It is a tropical plant and grows from 18°N to 20°S. It grows in fresh or brackish swamps up to 150 m altitude. Water 0.6-0.9 m deep and rich in humus is the environment used. It can stand shade. It can withstand flooding. It occurs in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the Philippines as well as in other countries. It is found in valleys in central and southern parts of the Philippines. It is grown in Visayas and Camarines. In Papua New Guinea it becomes important in Bougainville. It grows in fresh or brackish swamps up to 150 m altitude. It occurs on atoll islands. It has reasonable salt tolerance (2%).

Common Names: Swamp taro, Ape de veo, Aro matawa, Baba, Babai, Brak, Bwanihaka, Dababai, Gabi, Galiang, Gallan, Iaraj, Kakake, Kakale, Kakama, Kape ta'a-ta'a, Karake, Lak, Lok, Mane, Maota, Muen, Muiang, Mwahng, Mweiang, Mwong, Niha, Palanau, Palauan, Paluku, Papai, Papoi, Pasruk, Pula'a, Pulaka, Puna, Pura, Puraka, Puraka, Pwolok, Ta'o, Tao Kape, Te babai, Teplaka, Tepulaka, Tepuraka, Ula, Via kana, Via kau, Voruku

Synonyms: 

Cyrtosperma chamissonis (Schott) Merr.;
Cyrtosperma edule Schott.;
Apeveoa esculenta Moerenhauout;
Lasia merkusii Hasskarl;
Cyrtosperma lasioides Griffith;
Cyrtosperma nadeaudianum Moore;

Dalbergia hupeana

Edible: Leaves, Shoots

A tree. It grows up to 20 m tall. The trunk is 50 cm across. The young shoots are pale green. The leaves are 15-25 cm long. There are 7-11 leaflets. These are 4-6 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. The flower panicles are 15-20 cm long by 10-20 cm wide. The flowers are 6-7 mm across. The pod is 4-7 cm long by 1-2 cm wide. There are 1 to 2 kidney shaped seeds.

A tropical plant. It grows from 800-1400 m altitude in Southern China. Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Common Names: Huang tan, Co khet

Sterculia pexa

Edible : Seeds

A deciduous tree. It grows 5-10 m high. The young branches are chalky white. The leaves are compound. They have leaflets arranged like fingers on a hand. There are 7-9 leaflets. They are 9-23 cm long by 4-8 cm wide. The flowers are greenish-white. The fruit are follicles. These are 4-9 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. The outside is woody. The seeds are oblong and 1.5 cm long by 1 cm wide. They are shiny black.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in open deciduous forest or dry evergreen forest. In Thailand it grows between 100-900 m above sea level.

Common names : Woolly pingpo, Jia ma shu, Trom hoe,

Synonyms :

Sterculia pexa var. yunnanensis (Hu) H. H. Hsue;
Sterculia yunnanensis Hu;