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Useful Tropical Plants

Sphenoclea zeylanica

Gaertn.

Sphenocleaceae

+ Synonyms

Gaertnera pangati Retz.

Pongatium indicum Lam.

Pongatium spongiosum Blanco

Pongatium zeylanicum (Gaertn.) Kuntze

Rapinia herbacea Lour.

Reichelia palustris Blanco

Sphenoclea pongatium A. DC.

Common Name: Gooseweed

Sphenoclea zeylanica
Flowering plant
Photograph by: IRRI Photos
Creative Commons License
Sphenoclea zeylanica Sphenoclea zeylanica Sphenoclea zeylanica

General Information

Gooseweed is an annual plant with stems that are often much-branched, growing 7 - 150cm tall[
451
Title
Flora Malesiana Series 1
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.archive.org
Publisher
Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
].
The edible leaves are gathered from the wild for local consumption. The leaves are sometimes sold in local markets[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
,
451
Title
Flora Malesiana Series 1
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.archive.org
Publisher
Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

451
Title
Flora Malesiana Series 1
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.archive.org
Publisher
Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet

Range

Tropical Africa -Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia; Guinea, Mali, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Botswana, Madagascar.

Habitat

Any kind of damp ground - river banks and dry river beds; damp marshy or periodically inundated depressions; seasonal swamps; sides of ponds; ditches and stagnant water generally, especially rice fields at low elevations up to 350 metres[
451
Title
Flora Malesiana Series 1
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.archive.org
Publisher
Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Edibility Rating *  *  *
HabitAnnual
Height1.00 m
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details

A plant of lowland tropical and subtropical areas, both in regions with all year rainfall and those with a distinct dry season[
451
Title
Flora Malesiana Series 1
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.archive.org
Publisher
Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
].

Originally native to Africa, the plant has spread widely as a weed through many areas of the tropics and subtropics. Almost every flower on every inflorescence sets fruit; only one or two flowers are open at once on any one head so the seed is produced over a long season[
451
Title
Flora Malesiana Series 1
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.archive.org
Publisher
Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
]. It has become invasive in some areas[
305
Title
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
].

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoot tips - cooked and eaten as a potherb, mixed with grated coconut or served as a side dish with rice[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
,
451
Title
Flora Malesiana Series 1
Publication
 
Author
Various
Website
http://www.archive.org
Publisher
Nationaal Herbarium Nederiand, Universiteit Leiden branch
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A massive treatment of the plants of the Malaysian Archipelago. Much of it has been made available to download from the Internet
]. A slightly bitter but pleasant flavour[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-13. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Sphenoclea+zeylanica>

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