Common Name: Sawah Lettuce

General Information

Sawah lettuce is an evergreen perennial, clump-forming plant producing erect stems 20 - 40cm tall from a short thick erect rhizome[].
A popular and highly esteemed vegetable in the tropics, especially in parts of SE Asia, the plant is both gathered from the wild and also sometimes cultivated in rice paddies[]. It can often be found for sale in local markets[]. The plant is valued as an ornamental in some countries and is cultivated in botanic gardens or private homes[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southern S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, north through Central America to Mexico.

Habitat

In or at the edge of water[]. Shallow swamps, ditches, pools and wet rice fields, occurring usually in stagnant fresh water[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in shallow, neutral to slightly acidic water[].
If allowed to grow unchecked, the plant may become a very invasive environmental weed of streams and wetlands. It has become a serious weed in rice fields, irrigation canals and wetlands in South-East Asia[]. Clumps of the weed provide a congenial breeding site for disease-vectors, including mosquitoes, which encourages the spread of diseases such as Japan fever and dengue fever[]. Plants are reproduced mainly by seeds - these are dispersed via the production of fruitlets, which are buoyant and carried by water to new localities, dispersing seeds along the way[]. Fruiting takes place throughout the year, with a single fruit producing about 1,000 seeds and a single plant producing about 1,000 fruits per year[].

Edible Uses

Leaves, leaf stems, flower stalks and young inflorescences are eaten cooked[]. They can be steamed like endive or spinach, added to soups or mixed with other vegetables[]. The young leaves and tops of the plant are boiled or cooked in mixed soups[]. The vegetable contains relatively high levels of Calcium, Iron and vitamin A, which are nutrients that are frequently insufficient in the diets of women in low-income countries[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plants are sometimes used for green manure[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - seed must be kept damp or it loses viability[]. Sow in a constantly damp medium at 20c, cover with silver sand and immerse in 1cm of water once the seedlings have germinated[].
Division

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