Cissus carnosa
Roxb.
Treebine
University of Vermont
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
The green fruit is blanched and added to foods, particularly to give a bitter flavour to hot sauces.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It is commonly found along roadsides and in scrub.
Asia, India, Indochina, Pakistan, SE Asia, Thailand,
How to Identify
A climbing shrub. It grows 3-5 m high. The branches are slender and have furrows along them. The leaves are compound. There are 3 leaflets. These are broadly oval. The leaves are fleshy. They are 1.5-3.5 cm long by 1.2-2.5 cm wide. The middle leaflet is longer. The leaf stalk is 1.5-3 cm long. It has tendrils which are thin like a hair and branched. The flower head is 4-5 cm wide. It can be in the axils of leaves or at the ends of branches. The flowers have petals 2 mm long. The fruit is a round berry. It is flattened at both ends. It is 1.5-2 cm across. It is shiny black when ripe. There are 3-4 seeds. These are triangular and wrinkled. They are 3-4 mm across.
Other Information
It is sold in markets.
Notes
There are about 200-350 Cissus species. There are about 75 species in tropical America.
Names & Synonyms
Thao khan
References (3)
- Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org
- Jacquat, C., 1990, Plants from the Markets of Thailand. D.K. Book House p 79
- Rajkalkshmi, P. et al, 2001, Total carotenoid and beta-carotene contents of forest green leafy vegetables consumed by tribals of south India. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 56:225-238
