Mushroom Plant
Rungia klossii

Family: Acanthaceae

What it is like

Rungia klossii is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.6

Where it is found

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Australasia - New Guinea.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Indonesia, North America, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, SE Asia, Tasmania, USA, West Africa.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Leaves and young shoots - raw, cooked or used as a flavouring. The leaves are often cooked together with the leaves of Setaria palmifolia. The mushroom flavor increases with cooking (in soups or stews). After harvesting, the leaves will only keep for 2 - 3 days. A commercially cultivated vegetable. One of the main and most popular greens in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. A nutritious plant that is higher in protein than mushrooms, it contains calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, iron and other vitamins and minerals.

Medicine

Rating: 0

Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content

Other

Rating: 2

Agroforestry Uses: It is mostly grown in mixed cropping situations with sweet potato or Setaria pitpit. pot plant/house plant. Ornamental.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found mainly at elevations from 1,000 - 2,000 metres, though it can also be grown down to sea level. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 12 - 17°c, but can tolerate 12 - 29°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 1,200mm, but tolerates 500 - 2,000mm. Prefers a sunny position. It prefers a reasonably fertile soil, preferably moist, but will grow in most soils. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.2, tolerating 5 - 7. The plant grows reasonably slowly. The shoot tips and upper leaves can be harvested from about 2 - 4 months after planting out, with harvesting continuing at 1 - 2 monthly intervals for 2 years or more. Regular picking keeps the branches short and productive of leaves. A commercially cultivated vegetable. One of the main and most popular greens in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. The tips are picked with 2 - 3 leaves on then, each tip weighing about 0.8g. Total yields can be 2 kg/plant/year. If the plants were spaced at 50cm spacing this would give a yield of 4 kg per square metre of garden.

Propagating it: Seed. Stem cuttings. The plant is grown from cuttings which are about 25cm long. A clump of stems are sown together - these often already have roots developing from the nodes, or very quickly develop roots. It can be planted at any time of the year.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 9-11

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Acanth spinach; shombay; moku; tani; kenkaba

Synonyms

Rungia klossii S.Moore is an unresolved name