Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets

Acacia decurrens - Sydney Green Wattle

Edible Portion: Gum, Leaves - Tea

An evergreen tree. It grows to 15 m high with a spread of 5 m across. The stem is green and angled. The young branches are winged. The leaves (phyllodes) are dark green and are divided into secondary leaflets. They have a appearance like a feather. The leaves are 8 cm long with 6-12 pairs of larger leaflets and 60-80 smallest leaflets. The flowers are golden yellow balls in a much branched flower. They are 0.5 cm across. They are in They have a sweet smell. Many flowers occur. The pods are long and constricted between the seeds.

Acacia pennata - Cha-om

Edible Portion: Leaves

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

Other names :

Aila, Akar chuis, Akar kepah, Arari, Aroi garut, Cha om, Chili, Hai, Hpak-ha-awn, Ktaura, Kamo, Kareencha, Khangkhu, Khang muk, Khembra, Mchoo som bour, Miao tei, Nam ke ret, Nam-ki-ret, Pa ge da, Pala, Phak kan kong, Phak kha, Poswiidaw, Rigot, Seengai, Seenga keerai, Shembi, Singaya akulu, Suboke-gyi, Suji, Suyit, Tao pu, Thembra, Tuo bo ji niu, Tuopou-weiniu,

The correct name may now be Senegalia pennata

Acacia canescens (Kurz) Gamble;
Acacia hainanensis Hayata;
Acacia pendata (L.) Willd.[Spelling variant];
Acacia pseudo-intsia Ridley; ?
Albizia tenerrima deVriese;
Mimosa pennata L.;
and others

Amaranthus hybridus

Leafy Greens

Edible parts - Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable

An annual herb. It is an upright plant. It grows 80 cm to 2 m tall. It is often green but can be dark red. The leaves are simple and alternate. The leaves are oval shaped and can be 15 cm long. The flowers can be red, yellow or white. They are in spikes at the top of the plant and in the axils of leaves. The seeds are small and shiny and black.

Amaranthus tricolor

Edible Portion: Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable, Flowers, Leaves - Tea

A herb about 1 m high and spreads 45 cm wide. A small annual leafy green. An upright, much branched annual with a thin membrane covering the stems. Sometimes the plant lies over. The stems are angular. The plant branches in the upper part of the plant. It is smooth and grows from seed each year. Leaves have long leaf stalks which can be 5-10 cm long. Leaves vary in shape, size and colour. The leaf blade can be 5-25 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. Leaves are dull purplish and the top leaves can be yellow or red. Some types have coloured leaves or patterns on the leaves. It has a clumpy seed head at the top. The flower spike at the top can be 30 cm long. The seed are 1-1.2 mm across and black.

Basella alba - Indian Spinach

Edible Portion: Leaves, Tender Stems, Vegetable

An annual or perennial climbing herb with thick fleshy leaves. The vine is smooth and juicy and can be 10 m long. It branches freely. The vine and leaves can be red or green. The leaves are fleshy and pointed at the tip. They can be 8-18 cm long and 8-10 cm across. They are carried alternately along the vine. Leaves can be heart shaped or oval. It has white, pink or red flowers in short spikes which are in the axils of the leaves. Flowers have both sexes. The fruit are round and soft. They can be red, white or black and are 6-8 mm across. The seeds are round and black. They are 3 mm across. (Often the ones with heart shaped leaves are called Basella cordifolia, the ones with a red stem Basella rubra and the short day flowering dark green kind called Basella alba.)

Abelmoschus esculentus - Okra

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

A tropical annual herb. It grows erect, often with hairy stems. It mostly grows about 1 m tall but can be 3.5 m tall. It becomes woody at the base. The leaves have long stalks up to 30 cm long. Leaves vary in shape but are roughly heart shaped with lobes and teeth along the edge. Upper leaves are more deeply divided than lower ones. The flowers are yellow with red hearts. The fruits are green, long and ribbed. They have 5-7 ribs. They are 7.5-15 cm long. The seeds are 4-5 mm across. They are round and dark green. Many varieties exist.

Chenopodium album - Lamb's Quarters

Edible Portion: Leaves, Seeds, Sprouts, Flowers, Vegetable, Tea

An annual plant. It grows to 1 m high and spreads to 1 m across. The stem is erect. The stems are succulent and without hairs. They often have soft mealy lumps which can be rubbed off. The leaves are simple, with one at each node, and occurring alternately up the stem. The leaves are oval and wedge shaped with saw like edges. They are 5-12 cm long by 3-10 cm wide. The leaf stalk is usually shorter than the leaf blade. The under surface of the leaf often has a white mealy layer which can be rubbed off. The flowers occur in dense white spikes. The flowers occur at the tip and ends of branches. The fruit is a pod. It is small and roundish and papery. It opens around the tip. The pod contains a shiny black seed. Seed are 1.2-1.8 mm across.Seeds can occur in very large numbers.

Cleome gynandra - Cat's-whiskers

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

An annual herb. It grows to 0.6-0.9 m. It has a long tap root. It is erect and somewhat hairy. It usually has purple stems. The leaves occur one after another along the stalk. The leaf stalk is long. There are 5-7 leaflets which are unequal and spread out at the end. They are oblong and about 2.5-6 cm long by 1.4-3.2 cm wide. The leaflets are pointed at the base and a rounder near the tip with a rounder point at the tip. There are fine teeth along the edges of the leaves. The flowers are white or purple They occur in long flower clusters at the end of branches. These are 30 cm long. The flower clusters are showy with white or purplish flowers and a spidery like appearance. The fruit are a slender capsule with 2 valves and with many small seeds. They are 5-10 cm long and very narrow. The seeds are kidney shaped and rough. They are brown and have fine lines along them. They are 1 -1.5 mm across.

Brassica oleracea var. acephala - Kale

Edible Portion: Leaves, Vegetable, Flowers

A cabbage plant. The leaves are ruffled or crinkled but some are more smooth than normal kales. The leaf shape and colour varies considerably. The flowers are yellow or white.

Amaranthus caudatus - Grain Amaranth

Edible parts - Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable

An annual plant which can be 2 m high and 45 cm across. The stems are angular and it can have a single stem or be branched.
It is often limp in the upper parts. Plants are hairy at first but become smooth. Often they are tinged purple. Leaves are 2-4 cm
long by 0.7-1.6 cm wide on a leaf stalk 0.5-1.5 cm long. Leaves can taper to a tip at the end. They can also thin towards the
base. The veins are pale underneath. The flower clusters are in spikes on the side or top branches. The flowers are sometimes
branched and can droop over. They can be 45 cm long. The fruit is oval. Seed are 1-1.3 mm across.