Image: Sauropus androgynus at Kadavoor

Description: Sauropus androgynus, also known as Katuk, Star gooseberry, or Sweet leaf, is a shrub grown in some tropical regions as a leaf vegetable. In Chinese it is called Mani cai; in Japan it is called Amame Shiba;in Malay it is called Cekur manis, Sayur manis, or Asin-asin; in Thai it is called Pak waan; and in Vietnamese, it is called Rau ngót. In Kerala, it is called Malay Cheera. Its multiple upright stems can reach 2.5 meters high and bear dark green oval leaves 5–6 cm long. It is one of the most popular leaf vegetables in South Asia and Southeast Asia and is notable for high yields and palatability. The shoot tips have been sold as tropical asparagus. In Vietnam, the locals cook it with crab meat, minced pork or dried shrimp to make soup. In Malaysia, it is commonly stir-fried with egg or dried anchovies. The flowers and small purplish fruits of the plant have also be eaten In Indonesia, the leaves of the plant are used to make infusion, believed to improve the flow of breast milk for breastfeeding mothers.
Title: Sauropus androgynus at Kadavoor
Credit: Own work
Author: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India
Permission: Jeevan Jose, Kerala, India, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publishes it under the following license:
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
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