Telosma procumbens

(Blanco) Merr.

Dukep

ApocynaceaeFruitLeavesFlowersPotential hazards — see below

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What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Flowers, Leaves

Young fruit and flowers are cooked and eaten as vegetables. New shoots and young leaves are cooked together with other vegetables.

Known Hazards

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. They are widely distributed and common in areas of shrub at low altitudes throughout the islands of the Philippines. In southern China it grows along rivers between 300-800 m above sea level. In Yunnan.

Asia, China, Indochina, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Vietnam,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A creeper with slender rounded and heart shaped leaves. They are 3-10 cm long by 5-6 cm wide. They are slightly hairy on the lower veins. The leaf tip is pointed and they are rounded at the base. The flowers are greenish and have no smell. There are about 5-10 flowers in a cluster. The fruit contain flat seeds with many soft white hairs.

Medicinal Uses

An infusion or decoction of the leaves is used to cleanse wounds, scabies, and ulcers. The leaves are also used as a cataplasm, applied to the forehead in the treatment of headaches.

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Telosma procumbens, also known as latok, kapas-kapas, dukep, or sabidukong, among many other names, is a species of flowering plant native to the islands of the Philippines and parts of southeastern China and Vietnam. It is a woody vine with elongated heart-shaped leaves. It bears clusters of yellowish green odorless flowers with five twisted-looking fleshy petals arranged in a star shape. These develop into spearhead-shaped fruits with four thin lengthwise ridges ("wings"). The fruit contains multiple seeds stacked in a column. Each seed has a long white feathery tail that allows it to be dispersed by the wind. The flowers and immature fruit rinds are eaten in Filipino cuisine, with a taste and texture similar to winged beans or string beans.

Names & Synonyms

Ampupuyat, Bagbagcong, Barbarkilya, Kapas-kapas, Langted, Padpadol, Pusa-pusa, Sabiddokong, Wo jing ye lai xiang

Pergularia procumbens BlancoPergularia filipes SchlechterTelosma cathayensis Merrill

References (8)

Antonio, M. A., et al, 2011. Survey and Characterization of Indigenous Food Plants in Ilocos Norte, Philippines, SEARCA Agricultural & Development Discussion Papr Series No. 2011-2
Brown, W.H., 1920, Wild Food Plants of the Philippines. Bureau of Forestry Bulletin No. 21 Manila. p 150
Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 2169
Li Ping-tao; Michael G. Gilbert, W. Douglas Stevens, ASCLEPIADACEAE Flora of China.
Maghirang, R. G., et al, 2018. Ethnobotanical Studies of Some Plants Commonly Used as Vegetables in Selected Provinces of the Philippines. Journal of Nature Studies. 17(2), 30-43.
Menisa, A. A., et al, 2012, Survey and characterization of Indigenous Food Plants in Ilocos Norte, Philippines. SEARCA Discussion Paper series No. 2011-2
Monsalud, M.R., Tongacan, A.L., Lopez, F.R., & Lagrimas, M.Q., 1966, Edible Wild Plants in Philippine Forests. Philippine Journal of Science. p 445
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew