Author Archives: Wilson Wong

The Prickly Lasia spinosa

Posted on December 21, 2010 | 1 Comment

Lasia spinosa is an obscure member of the yam family, Araceae. The common names of this plant that I have come across include simply lasia, unicorn plant (probably due to the appearance of its inflorescences) and geli-geli (in Malay). It is a perennial tropical plant that is native to India, Southern China and Southeast Asia.

It is a large herbaceous plant that can grow up to 2 m tall. Like many plants in the yam family, the leaves of Lasia spinosa rise from the base and are arranged like a rosette. Each leaf is divided into several lobes and numerous small spines arm the leaf stalk and along the veins found at the back of leaves. Plants grow and spread via underground stems which are rich in starch.

Visually, Lasia spinosa is largely a plain green plant and is saved by its attractive, curious-looking inflorescence. Typical of an aroid, the real flowers are borne on a spike-shaped spadix. Unlike most other aroid species, the spathe of Lasia spinosa is not sail-like. The tip of the spathe is long and extended, twists along its length and held erect above the plant. Fruits of this plant are each aggregated on a club-like structure.

This aroid is an aquatic plant that thrives in a location with semi-shade to full sun. Naturally, it grows along the banks of rivers and in swamps and is tolerant of waterlogged conditions. It is edible and grown as a vegetable. Raw parts of the plant are documented to contain toxic constituents such as hydrocyanic acid and calcium oxalate and must be processed such as by cooking prior consumption. As a vegetable, the young tender leaves of Lasia spinosa are peeled to remove the spines. In Thailand, the young leaves are severed with ‘nam phrik plaa raa’ (spicy fermented fish sauce), stir-fried or added to hot and sour soup.

Like many other plants, Lasia spinosa has medicinal properties. Both the rhizomes and leaves possess expectorant properties. The latter also help ease stomachaches. The roots are boiled and the water used to bath newborn babies. The leaves are also used for the treatment of coughs, stomachache and various aches and pains.

The genus Lasia has been believed to be a monotypic genus until 1997 when a wild population of anew species, Lasia concinna, was discovered in a paddy field in West Kalimantan in Indonesia. Like Lasia spinosa, the farmer there had been growing them for its edible young leaves. This Lasia species had been known of previously only from a single specimen at the Bogor Botanic Gardens. At the time specimen was believed to have been a hybrid between Lasia spinosa and Cyrtosperma merkusii. The subsequent discovery by Hambali and Sizemore led to the realization that it was in fact a new species.

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Root Awakening (18 Dec 2010)

Posted on December 18, 2010 | 1 Comment

Answers to three gardening questions were provided this time round. The first question was about the identity of a weed. With the help from the Singapore Herbarium, the plant was indentified to be Pipturus argenteus and commonly called the ‘native mulberry’. Note that it is not related in any way to the mulberry (Morus species) that are often grown in local medicinal gardens.   Pipturus argenteus grows naturally in Australia and is a host plant of the Malayan Eggfly caterpillar (Hypolimnas anomala anomala). Plants are dioecious where male and female flowers on separate individuals. It is difficult to raise from cuttings, so seeds are probably the best way to grow new plants.

The second question was about ‘local’ pomegranate plants producing small fruits. Note that most of the pomegranate plants sold in local nurseries are the small fruited, ornamental varieties. Most Chinese here regard the pomegranate plant as a ‘lucky plant’ and grow it as a potted plant for its decorative value. Edible, larger-fruited varieties are hard to come by here.

The last question enquried where one can procure Gynura procumbens which is a plant that is thought to possess medicinal properties. The best known property is the plant’s ability to reduce high blood pressure and blood glucose levels. In Singapore, one can visit and buy a pot of this herb from Hua Hng Trading Company Pte Ltd located at 15, Bah Soon Pah Road, Singapore 769962.

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Afgekia sericea – A Beautiful Legume

Posted on December 16, 2010 | 1 Comment

The Silver Afgekia is a highly ornamental flowering plant belonging to the bean family, Fabaceae. It is a fast-growing vine with soft, furry, pinnate leaves. The new growth of the Silver Afgekia takes on an attractive, silvery appearance. Its flowers, produced in a spike held on a long, flexible stalk, are exceptionally showy. Each pea flower-like blossom is pink in colour, covered with fine hairs and spots a yellow-orange spot in the center. Lasting for only one day, flowers open successively from the base of the flower stalk towards the tip.

Botanically known as of Afgekia sericea, this vine is a species that is thought to be endemic to Thailand. There are two other species of Afgekia and all three have their own limited distribution in Thailand. The genus Afgekia was named in honour of Dr Arthur Francis George Kerr (his initials were spelled out as ‘AFGEK’) who was a distinguished British plant taxonomist for the Flora of Thailand Project.

The Silver Afgekia  is a perennial climber on trees, usually at or near the margins of dry dipterocarp forest from low to medium altitudes. In its native habitat, it is reported to flower mainly in the rainy season. In Singapore, this vine flowers all year round. This plant has become a rare species in its native habitat due to fragmentation of its natural habitats by increasing needs of land for agricultural purposes, housing and road construction.

Propagation of this plant is reported to be via seeds. However, in Singapore, I have never observed any seed pods being produced by the plants I have come across. The same has been reported to occur in Bangkok, Thailand. Its rarity was speculated to be due to the disturbance and fragmentation of its natural habitat which led to the reduction in the population of its effective pollinators. Research by Thai scientists revealed that fruit set in this legume species depended largely on bee pollinators and the percentage of fruit set was extremely low since less than 0.2% was observed from two natural sites.

In the garden, the Silver Afgekia is best grown in a sunny and well draining location. It looks good enough to be trained on a vertical trellis where one can appreciate its flower spikes face-on. Note that the plant winds itself around a support like many other leguminous vines and growth tends to become woody with age. Mulch around the bases of plants with well-rotted compost to help conserve moisture and suppress weed growth. Established plants appear do well with occasional irrigation and are not bothered by pests and diseases. Not much is known about this leguminous vine’s ability to fix nitrogen.

References

1. Floral Visitors and Fruit Set in Afgekia sericea Craib (Fabaceae)

2. Morphometric Relationships among Three Populations of Afgekia sericea Craib (Fabaceae) in Thailand

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Posted in Flowering plants, Tropical ornamentals

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Introducing the Green Pepper Basil

Posted on December 14, 2010 | 4 Comments

The Green Pepper Basil is a rare and unique basil species that does not look, smell or taste like a typical basil that we grow in the kitchen garden. It is botanically known as Ocimum selloi, where the species epithet is named for Friedrich Sellow (var. Sello) (1789-1831), a German botanist and naturalist, one of the earliest scientific explorers of the Brazilian flora. This basil species was reported to be first collected near Chiapas in Mexico, by botanist Dennis E. Breedlove.

The serrated leaves of the Green Pepper Basil are glossy, deep forest green and leathery. I came across a website that this plant looks like a pepper plant (Capsicum species) and I am in agreement with it. This plant produces numerous small violet flowers on arching spikes. Unlike most other commonly encountered basils, flowering does not adversely affect the much leaf production. It noticed it is a highly ornamental, fuss-free and rather pest- and disease-resistant basil species compared to the culinary ones – it is a potential candidate for testing in companion planting to ward off undesirable pests in a herb and spice garden.

The leaves of this basil have a milder, more complex flavor than most culinary basils and are described to be like a combination of green pepper and basil. It is said to be able to hold these flavors through cooking, freezing and microwaving. This contrasts against bell pepper and basil which do not normally withstand such harsh processes.

According to sources on the internet, the leaves of the Green Pepper Basil are said to be good to flavour corn soup, cabbage, scrambled eggs, and mixed with cream cheese to spread on crackers. One source cited its use in salads. Like many herb plants, Green Pepper Basil also has medicinal uses – its leaves been traditionally used to treat stomachaches and infuse in baths for fever.

Like most other basils, the Green Pepper Basil should be grown in a well-draining position with fertile soil that is kept moist at all times. It can be grown in a sunny spot like other Ocimum species and cultivars but interestingly, an internet source mentioned that this particular basil species should be grown in semi-shade as leaves will become tough and inedible if grown under full sun!

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Root Awakening (11 Dec 2010)

Posted on December 11, 2010 | 1 Comment

The Root Awakening column for the second week of December 2010 provided answers to two gardening questions. The first question queried on how to go about to start the gardening hobby and be successful in it. My advice given was to first learn more about the plants that one is interested in growing. One should start off by getting their names right and get to know about each plants’ growth requirements. A good reference to look to is the NParks’ publication entitled ‘’1001 Garden Plants of Singapore’. It is a pictorial guide which makes reference by anyone very easy.

To better grow one’s plants, it is best to follow this guideline – grow the right plant in the right location. Understand the conditions in your growing area at home and choose to grow plants that are suited for that area. One should check out and take part in the gardening talks and workshops conducted by HortPark and Singapore Botanic Gardens as these are organised with budding gardeners in mind.

The second question touched on why young fruits of the custard apple tree failed to develop fully. Most would turn black and become aborted. From what I have researched, the custard apple tree is well known to be a plant that prefers a sunny, well-draining location. The symptoms the enquirer has described seem to point to overwatering or a plant that is grown in a waterlogged location. It is advisable to the plant to grow in a location with better draining soil and allow plant to dry out a little between each watering, especially in Singapore where we are located in an area with high rainfall.

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Buried Treasures – Tasty Tubers of the World

Posted on December 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

I came across this book for the first time in Singapore Botanic Gardens’ staff library. Entitled ‘Buried Treasures – Tasty Tubers of the World’ is a book in a series published by Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This book is largely a compilation of chapters written by several authors. It started with a description of the various types of underground storage organs commonly eaten which then led to the next chapter which wrote on the history of how some of these plants became important and got domesticated by Man. The third chapter was the one that left the deepest impression in me as a gardener, as it featured the profiles of a total of 31 different plants. The fourth chapter that logically followed third one was one on how to cook and eat these plants. The remaining chapters touched on foraging for wild underground vegetables and where one can obtain them to grow via various commercial sources but sadly, they were all US-based. One can also find some general information on how to propagate these plants classified on the characteristic of underground storage organ.

More on the third chapter – Encyclopedia of Edible Tubers (not correct to say they are all tubers!)… Most Asians would be familiar with the following geophytes - taro (Colocasia esculenta), yam (Dioscorea alata), water chestnut (Eleocharis dulcis), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), cassava (Manihot esculenta), lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), yam bean (Pachyrhizus erosus), arrowhead (Sagittaria trifolia var. sinensis) and potato (Solanum tuberosum).  This book has these and more to offer. The rather comprehensive range of vegetables presented in the book impressed me a great deal – many of which are largely unknown to me as an Asian who lives in this part of South East Asia. I must say that I got to know and add more plants, especially the Andean species into my ”mental database” by picking up and reading this book. The gardener will get to read more on the ornamental attributes, growing tips, propagation means, climate requirements, basic cooking methods and nutritional values of each of these geophytes.

The information presented in this book is largely engaging and interesting. Besides the misleading titles of all the chapters, the glaring title printed across the front cover did a disservice to this otherwise great book – not all the plants mentioned in this book are tubers (note – Buried Treasures – Tasty Tubers of the World) and this is somewhat not expected of a publication from a botanic garden!  Luckily, this publication corrected and saved itself by having a more appropriate running title overleaf – how to grow and enjoy root vegetables, tubers, rhizomes and corms, as well as, with the inclusion of a more detailed discussion on how each of these plant parts, based on their morphology are classified into each category.

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Introducing the ‘Cincau Plant’ – Mesona

Posted on December 7, 2010 | 4 Comments

Most Singaporeans would be familiar with the grass jelly that is served as a chilled dessert, served commonly either in strips soaked in soybean milk or in cube form bathed in sugar syrup. In Chinese, this foodstuff is referred to as ‘xiancao’ (仙草, literal translation means ‘fairy herb’) and ‘cincao’ in Malay.

Whilst most of us are familiar with the foodstuff itself, not many would be familiar with the plant. The plant that produces the black grass jelly in part of the world is a species from the genus Mesona and is a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Two species of Mesona, namely, M. chinensis and M. parviflora, have been reported to be used to make grass jelly. From what I have researched, M. chinensis appears to be the one used in southeast China and Taiwan while M. parviflora seems to be more popular in Indonesia. Chinese refer to M. chinensis as ‘凉粉草’ (liang fen cao).

Plant Resources of South East Asia states that the two species may be conspecific, meaning they may be similar. A check with Flora of China database yields slightly differing foliage characteristics given below. It is well known in the Plant Kingdom that a single species of plants with a widespread distribution can be variable in appearance. From the description below, I believe the one I showed in this post is M. chinensis.

Mesona chinensis (syn. M. procumbens) - Leaves narrowly or broadly ovate to subcircular, apex acute to obtuse, base cuneate to sometimes rounded . (Cruneate – a leaf with a wedge-shaped base with edges that form an angle less than 90 degrees, but greater than 45 degrees.)

Mesona parviflora (syn. M. palustris) - Leaves narrowly elliptic or ovate-lanceolate, apex short acuminate, base attenuate (Attenuate – a leaf with a tapering base with concave edges that form an angle less than 45 degrees.)

Leaf characteristics reference - http://www.northernontarioflora.ca/leaf_bases.cfm

The aerial parts of Mesona are picked and dried. During the drying process, leaves are allowed to oxidise where they also turn dark. To make the jelly, leaves are boiled in water with the addition of an alkaline substance such as potassium carbonate (ash from burned rice culms is also said to be used). The resultant solution is filtered through cloth and then cooled where it then solidifies to give the familiar gelatinous solid. Leaves of Mesona are believed to have ‘cooling’ properties in Chinese medicine .

In the garden, both species of Mesona make great groundcover plants for a herbal garden. Their sprawling and dense growing habit ensures any bare patches of ground are covered green and prevents soil eroson. Their leaf surfaces are shiny and the serrated foliage margins add interesting texture to the landscape. These plants produce numerous small flowers on erect spikes which are coloured blue – a rare floral colour in the tropics.

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Root Awakening (4 Dec 2010)

Posted on December 4, 2010 | 3 Comments

Answers to two gardening questions were provided in this weekend’s edition of the Root Awakening column. The questions pertained to problems faced in growing chillis and the bauhina vine.

The problem mentioned in the first question is a common one. Often, the first flushes of flowers in the chilli plant often fall without bearing any fruit. Chilli plants usually has little problem in setting fruits in the lowland tropics. Hence this problem should resolve itself in subsequent flushes of blooms. Otherwise, it may be a case of poor pollination. One can perform hand pollination by using a small paintbrush to brush each flower to help transfer pollen. Other causes could be due to dry air caused by windy conditions.

The second question was about the new growth in Bauhinia kockiana not growing well and tips of older leaves turning black. The enquirer mentioned about once fortnightly feeding. With the information given, the black leaf tips may be a sign that the plant is over-fertilised and hence it is recommended to follow the instructions printed on the label of the fertiliser. In general,  Bauhinia kockiana is a plant that will grow better if it is grown in the ground and it is vital to keep the roots cool by mulching it with compost. Avoid trimming new growth as this is where flower buds will be formed.

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Jekka’s Herb Cookbook

Posted on December 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

Jekka McVicar, the Herb Queen, as she is widely known, has published another book on herbs. This time, it is a cook book, in contrast to her earlier ones which focussed on how to grow these aromatic plants. For Singaporeans, this book is about how to use so-called ‘Western herbs’ in the kitchen and you may have expected, Jamie Oliver, has a part in this book where he penned the foreword.

In this book, the reader will be able to find uses for 50 herbs. The common ones like basil, bay, chives, dill, lemon balm, marjoram, mint, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme can be found, as well as, a selected few Asian ones like celery leaf, coriander, curry leaf, lemon grass and shiso.

Unlike many cookbooks, the reader won’t be able to find colourful pictures of the final dish that are often included to inspire the one to start cooking. One will instead find colour illustrations of the herbs featured which were the work of Jekka”s daughter, Hannah.

For each herb, Jekka starts off with a short personal anecdote, followed by a description and brief growing tips. That then leads to its history in cooking, harvesting notes, medicinal properties and the various cultivars that are available to the cook or gardener. A handful of recipes are presented in the pages that followed. What I particularly find useful about this book is that Jekka gave tips on how to use excess herbs that may be produced by a bumper harvest. She also provided warnings whenever applicable, such as the risk of using fresh herbs to make herbed oils.

I am better known to be a gardener rather than a cook. As many of you are already aware, my current plant focus is on culinary herbs. At this point, I felt I should just get started on how to use them better rather than just to grow and smell them. I thought this is an ideal book to help me get started – there is information to allow me understand the characteristics of each herb which set the basis on how to use them in the most effective way in food. In my opinion, this cook book serves as a companion to complement the other herb gardening books by Jekka.

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Flowers for Fragrance & Colour (Serangoon Newsletter, Nov 10)

Posted on November 30, 2010 | 5 Comments

Most of us are aware that there are plants that produce fragrant flowers. Often, we forgot that amongst these, there are a few species that possess a unique floral characteristic, that is, the ability of the flowers to change colour as they age. At least, this is true for me.

I therefore took this opportunity to introduce these plants to residents living in the Serangoon constituency in the November 2010 issue of the Serangoon newsletter. In it, readers get acquainted with the Rangoon Creeper (Quisqualis indica), Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow (Brunfelsia calycina), Lady of the Night (Brunfelsia americana) and Thai Gardenia (Gardenia gjellerupii).

The flowers of the Rangoon Creeper are white, turn pink and finally red before they fade. For Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow, they are purple when freshly opened, then light blue and finally white. The flowers of its relative, Lady of the Night, are white when they first open which turn yellow finally. As for the Thai Gardenia, its flowers are pale yellow at first that turn orange as they age.

In general, these flowering vines and shrubs enjoy a location with fertile and free-draining soil to grow well in the garden. They also like a sunny location and shade causes them to produce less flowers. In very shady areas, plants become leggy and gradually decline. As with many flowering shrubs, avoid pruning them too frequently. If you need to, practise selective pruning to shape the plant superficially, taking into account that flower buds are always produced in new growth.

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