Hillside eggplant
Brachybotrys paridiformis
Family: Boraginaceae
What it is like
A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows 30-40 cm high. It has creeping rhizomes or underground stems. These are 3 mm across. It then has shoots that have an early growth like asparagus. The lower leaves are like scales. The middle leaves are like spoons. These are 9 cm long. The normal leaves are crowded neat the tips in a group of 5 or 6 and are broadly oval and 7-17 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. They taper to the tip and are wedge shaped at the base. There are a few hairs. The flowers are purple. They are 1 cm across. They occur as 3-6 in a single group. The stalks are 10 cm long. They are funnel shaped. The fruit are as 4 shiny black small nuts 3 mm long. These are 4 sided and hairy.
There is only one Brachybotrys species.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It is native to north-eastern China and Siberia.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China, Korea, Russia, Siberia
How it is used for food
The young shoots are used as a potherb, like asparagus.
Edible parts
Shoots, leaves