Sour chicken vine
Embelia sessiliflora

Family: Primulaceae

What it is like

A shrub or climber. There is a soft covering on the young branches and flowers. The branches are angled with sharp ridges along them. The branches are 2-3 mm thick. The leaf stalk is 5-10 mm long. The leaf blade is oblong and 5-12 cm long by 2.2-4.5 cm wide. They are papery. The base is rounded and extends along the leaf stalk. It tapers to a short tip. There are 18-27 side veins each side of the midrib. The flowering stalk is at the end of the branch and is shaped like a pyramid. It is 5-15 cm long. The flowers are greenish white. The fruit is round and red. It is 3-4 mm across.

There are about 140 Embelia species. Also put in the family Myrsinaceae.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. In China it grows in mixed forests and scrubland between 1400-2800 m altitude in S China. In Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Northeastern India, SE Asia, Thailand

How it is used for food

The fruit are sweet-sour and are eaten fresh. The young leafy shoots are used for salads or cooked as a potherb.

The leaves are sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Fruit, leaves

How it is grown

In NE India plants flower and fruit in September.

Its other names

Local names

Duan geng suan teng zi, Laoqiu, Ma-die, Soh-jew-tenksai

Synonyms

Embelia stricta Craib.; Ribesiodes sessiliflorum (Kurz)Kuntze; Samara sessiliflora (Kurz)Kurz;