This tropical climber is indigenous to Southeast Asia, where it is both wild harvested and cultivated for its tart-tasting foliage, which...Read More serves as a tasty addition to seafood soups and stews (e.g. canh chua). In cultivation, it is pruned to a height of around 6' (2 m) and grown around a pole or trellis, where it becomes a bushy shrub, producing ample foliage for collection. If you're wondering about the flavor of the leaves, they are pleasantly tart with a flavor that is strikingly similar to the pulp of loquat fruit (Eriobotrya japonica).
Seeds obtained from Vietnam were soaked in water for 24h, then placed within a wet paper towel. Seeds germinated in approximately one week with a rate of ~75%. Germinating seeds were removed and placed in a sealed container with standard peat based germinating mix, placed under fluorescent grow lamps, and kept at 75F (23C) inside a humidity bag to mimic the environment of coastal SE Asia. Seedlings grew quickly in these conditions for about 2 weeks, soon becoming large enough to pot individually and go outside. Maturing plants thrive in warm temperatures, high humidity, and regular (but not excessive) watering. Direct sunlight is tolerated so long as ambient humidity remains high. If the air becomes too dry, this species will languish in the hot sun. When cooler weather arrives with night temperatures dipping to below 40F (5C), plants will go dormant until warmer conditions return.
While this species has been virtually impossible to source outside of its native region, it is a common potherb in Vietnamese and other Southeast Asian markets. With many SE Asian medicinal and culinary herbs having made their way to horticulturists on other continents and into the produce sections of Asian grocers, this one seems like a natural addition.
This tropical climber is indigenous to Southeast Asia, where it is both wild harvested and cultivated for its tart-tasting foliage, which...Read More