Pedalium murex
Family: Pedaliaceae
What it is like
An annual plant. It has many branches. It is spreading and succulent. It grows 60 cm tall. It can cover an area one metre across. The roots are the colour of turmeric. The leaves are simple and opposite. They are oval. They are 1-5 cm long by 1-3 cm wide. They have coarse teeth. The flowers are about 2 cm across. The fruit are 1-1.8 cm long and narrow at the base and have spreading spines at the other end. There are 1 or 2 seeds in each section. The seeds are oblong.
There is only one Pedalium species.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows on moist alluvial flats. It can grow in salty soil. It needs an annual rainfall above 500 mm. It can grow in arid places. It is often near the edges of beaches. It can grow in salty, sandy and limestone soils.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, SE Asia, Socotra, Somalia, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, West Africa
How it is used for food
The leaves are eaten boiled as a vegetable. The leafy stems are used to thicken buttermilk. When briskly stirred in cold water they give a thick mucilage like the white of a raw egg.
A minor leafy vegetable of only local importance.
Edible parts
Leaves, vegetable
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Ana nerinnil, Anai-nerunji, Annegalu-gida, Bara-ghokru, Bara-gokhru, Burra gookeroo, Enugu-palleri, Gokara, Gokhru, Gokru kalan, Gokshura, Hatti-charatte, Kadvagokkru, Kakamulla, Motte-gokharu, Motto-gokharu, Peda palleru, Peru-nerunji, Su-le-gyi, Wilayati gokhru, Yaanai nerunchil