Neptunia plena
(L.) Benth.
Thai watercress, Thai mimosa
(c) 106611639464075912591, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by 106611639464075912591
(c) degilbo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) degilbo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves
The leaves are eaten.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows well in warm, nutrient-rich mud. In southern China it grows from sea level to 100 m above sea level.
Aruba, Asia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America*, China, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Jamaica, Lesser Antilles*, Malaysia, Mexico*, Nicaragua, North America, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, South America*, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Thailand, Trinidad-Tobago, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, West Indies*,
How to Identify
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It can partly grow in water. The stems are erect and branching. The leaves have 4-10 pairs of pinnae with 9-40 leaflets on each. These are 4-18 mm long by 2-3 mm wide. The pods are oblong and 5-10 cm long by 2 cm wide. There are 5-20 seeds.
How to Grow
It can be grown from seed. The tough seed coating needs to be broken.
Notes
Also as Mimosaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Aquatic sensitive plant, Banyu putri malu, Water dead-and-awake
References (5)
- J. Bot. (Hooker) 4:355. 1841
- Kew Plants of the World Online
- Plants of Haiti Smithsonian Institute http://botany.si.edu/antilles/West Indies
- Romanowski, N., 2007, Edible Water Gardens. Hyland House. p 64
- Sukarya, D. G., (Ed.) 2013, 3,500 Plant Species of the Botanic Gardens of Indonesia. LIPI p 1152
