Centrostachys aquatica — Edible Plant Database

What to Eat

Edible parts: Leaves

The leaves are edible.

Where to Find It

A tropical plant. It grows in water. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, China, Congo DR, East Africa, Ethiopia, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pacific, Philippines, Russia, SE Asia, Senegal, Siberia, Sri Lanka, South Sudan, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tibet, Uganda, USA, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Angola, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei, Bhutan, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, China, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Micronesia, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, Comoros, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Marshall Islands, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Seychelles, Sudan, Singapore, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A herb that grows in water. The stems have grooves. The leaves are thin and opposite. They are diamond shaped. They are red above and purple underneath. They taper at the base to a short leaf stalk. The flowers are in small spikes at the tips. The spikes emerge above the water and are white and hairy.

How to Grow

It can be grown from stem cuttings.

Medicinal Uses

The plant is used as medicine.

Notes

It is used as medicine.

Names & Synonyms

Achyranthes aquatica R. Br.

References (5)

A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(2):321. 1849 (As (R. Br.) Moq.)
Dansi, A., et al, 2008, Traditional leafy vegetables and their use in the Benin Republic. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2008) 55:1239–1256
Dansi, A., et al, 2009, Traditional leafy vegetables in Benin: folk nomenclature, species under threat and domestication. Acta Bot. Gallica 156(2), 183-199
Staples, G.W. and Herbst, D.R., 2005, A tropical Garden Flora. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. p 103
Zon, A.P.M. van der, Grubben, G.J.H., 1976, Les legumes-feuilles spontanes et cultives du Sud-Dahomey, Communication 65, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, p 46