Hill gynura
Gynura cusimbua

Family: Asteraceae

What it is like

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems are robust and the lower parts can lie along the ground. They are green or purple and 1.5-3.0 m tall. The stems are up to 2 cm across. They are fleshy but woody at the base. The leaves are large and without leaf stalks. They can be purplish underneath. The leaves are broadly oval and 10-30 cm long by 4-11 cm wide. The leaves higher up are smaller.

Where it is found

It is a subtropical plant. In southern China it grows on slopes and grasslands between 1,300-3,400 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Sikkim, Thailand, Tibet

How it is used for food

The shoots are cooked and eaten. They are also used in soups.

It is only occasionally eaten.

Edible parts

Shoots, leaves

How it is grown

In Nagaland leaves are harvested June to November.

Its other names

Local names

Buli, Dudli, Eneshi, Kadu, Nakling, Paaput, Sille, Tera-paibi, Yogin

Synonyms

Cacalia angulosa Wall. [Invalid]; Cacalia cusimba D. Don.; Crassocephalum cusimbua (D. Don) Kuntze; Gynura angulosa (Wall.) DC.; Gynura cusimba var. petiolata (Hook. f.) R. Mathur; Gynura longifolia Kerr;