Phak saeo
Marsdenia glabra
Family: Apocynaceae
What it is like
A thin climber. The leaves are opposite. They are oval. The leaves are 4-9 cm long and 1.5-4.5 cm wide. The leaf stalk is hairy. It is 1-2 cm long. The flowers occur as a cluster of short stalked flowers. These occur in the axils of leaves. They are 1.5 cm long. The flowers are bell-shaped. They are 3-4 mm long. They are white. The many seeded dry fruit is dagger shaped. They are 5 cm long by 6 mm wide. The seeds have a beak. They are 8 mm long by 3-4 mm wide.
The bark, leaves and flowers are used to make blue dye. There are about 25 Marsdenia species. They are mostly tropical.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. It grows in mountain forest between 500–800 m altitude in China. It occurs in evergreen or mixed deciduous forests. In Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Asia, China, Indochina, Laos, SE Asia, Thailand, Vietnam
How it is used for food
The tender shoots and young leaves are eaten blanched.
Edible parts
Leaves
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Guang ye lan ye teng, Paksaew