Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Food - Tender young leaves and shots - raw or cooked as a vegetable
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan
Subtropical biome.
Annual herb reaching 15-45 cm (0. 15-0.45 meters) tall typically prostrate or sub-erect with branching stems.
Single or branched, typically glabrous (hairless) or sparsely hairy. Can be green, reddish. or purple depending on the variety.
Arranged alternately along the stem, ovate to elliptic in shape with entire margins. Size: Up to 5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. Often with a pair of dark blotches on either side of the midrib. The base of the leaf stalk (petiole) is typically enlarged and clasps the stem, giving the appearance of a winged stem.
Pink or white. small (2-3 mm long) with four oblong to broadly elliptic tepals (sepals and petals not differentiated). Stamens (male reproductive organs) are typically purple-black.
Three-sided achene (dry, single-seeded fruit) that is brownish when mature.
Flowering: June-September