Limnocharis flava

Limnocharis flava (commonly known as yellow velvetleaf,[2] sawah flower rush, sawah lettuce[3]) is a species of aquatic flowering plant which is native to Mexico, Central America, South America, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic but widely naturalized in southern and southeastern Asia: India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and southern China (Guangdong, Yunnan).[1][4]

Limnocharis flava
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Alismatales
Family: Alismataceae
Genus: Limnocharis
Species:
L. flava
Binomial name
Limnocharis flava
Synonyms[1]
  • Alisma flavum L.
  • Damasonium flavum (L.) Mill.
  • Limnocharis emarginata Humb. & Bonpl.
  • Limnocharis flava var. indica Buchenau
  • Limnocharis plumieri Rich.

Limnocharis flava is roughly 50 centimetres (20 in) tall growing in clumps. Its triangular-shaped leaves and hollow stems are glabrous. Its inflorescences have a very characteristic shape, producing three-lobed yellow flowers about 1.5 cm in diameter. The fruits are spherical. Although it is not a floating plant, its seeds are carried away by currents.[5][6]

Yellow velvetleaf grows generally wherever there is not very deep stagnant fresh water, in swampy areas. It sometimes invades rice fields where it can become a weed. As an invasive species it has become a pest in some wetlands in other parts of the world.[4][7]

As food

Traditionally this plant is an important vegetable in parts of Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam,[8] Laos, Isan (Thailand)[9] and parts of India, where the central flower stalk and the leaves are used in soups, curries, salads and stir-fries.[10] The immature flower buds are also eaten. In Isan the leaf is eaten raw with nam phrik. Owing to its flat taste, in some areas it is considered "poor people's food" or emergency food, eaten whenever there is not much else left. This characteristic was put into song by Muhammad Arief, in the 1940s hit Genjer-genjer in the Banyuwangi language in Java.[11]

See also

References
  1. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Limnocharis flava". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  3. "Limnocharis flava". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  4. "Limnocharis flava in Flora of China @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
  5. "issg Database: EcologieLimnocharis flava". www.issg.org. Synergy International Limited. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
  6. Buchenau, Franz Georg Philipp. 1868. Abhandlungen herausgegeben vom Naturwissenschaftlichen Vereine zu Bremen 2: 2,4. Limnocharis flava
  7. Environmental Pests- Australia Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
  8. Ogle, B. M.; Dao, H. T.; Mulokozi, G.; Hambraeus, L. (2001-11-01). "Micronutrient composition and nutritional importance of gathered vegetables in Vietnam". International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 52 (6): 485–499. doi:10.1080/713671806. ISSN 0963-7486. PMID 11570015.
  9. "Thailand Illustrated - Healthy Food". Archived from the original on 2012-07-27. Retrieved 2011-08-13.
  10. Said, Sammy (2010-05-21). "Stir-Fried Genjer (Limnocharis Flava)". Enjoy The Food. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
  11. "YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2017-01-30.
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