Bitter cumin
Glinus oppositifolius

Family: Molluginaceae

What it is like

An annual herb. This is a small thin spreading plant. It grows 10-60 cm tall. It is smooth skinned and branched and grows each year from seed. The leaves are opposite each other and 1 to 3 cm long. Sometimes the leaves are in circles. It flowers throughout the year. Flowers develop around the nodes. There are 4-6 flowers together. They are 6-12 mm long. They are greenish-white. They have a long flower stalk. The fruit is a capsule which is oval. It has 5 valves. There are many seeds. These are kidney shaped. They are 0.5 mm long.

There are about 10 Glinus species. There are 2 species in tropical America.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in open waste places. It often grows on land which is occasionally flooded. It grows on tidal flats. It grows in damp shady places. It grows in wetlands. It grows between 40-780 m above sea levels.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Central Africa, China, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, South America, Swaziland, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked with meat and fish to add to the flavour. The leaves are bitter. The plant including flowers are fried and eaten. The plant is ground into a paste then used for pickles.

Leaves are sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Leaves, shoots, vegetable, flowers

How it is grown

It can be grown from seeds and stem cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Bakkate, Chadarasi gida, Chandarasisoppu, Chang geng xing su cao, Chayun-tarashiaku, Dang khem, Dima shak, Gandhi buuti, Ganga, Ganga-la-acho, Geema shak, Gemashak, Ghima, Gima, Gimasak, Gimma, Grishma-sundaraka, Harha ara, Jala-papr, Jeem shaak, Jharasi, Jima, Jin-ga, Kachantarai, Kadubhaji, Kaipacheera, Kaipajira, Karvo okhrad, Kayata bhaji, Lonika, Pampantra, Parpata, Parpatka, Phak kaen khom, Phak khuang, Phanija, Pitangama, Pitasaga, Rau dang dat, Rumput tapak burung, Sadaodin, Teeta shak, Thura poondu, Toorael lay, Ushnasundara

Synonyms

Glinus cambessedesii Fenzl; Glinus denticulatus (Guill.) & Perr.) Fenzl; Glinus mollugo Fenzl.; Glinus spergula (L.) Steud.; Mollugo oppositifolia L.; Mollugo spergula L.; and others