Common name: Water Morning Glory, Swamp cabbage, aquatic morning glory, Chinese water spinach • Hindi: Nali, कलमी साग Kalmi sag • Manipuri: কোলম্নী Kolamni • Marathi: नालीची भाजी Nalichi-bhaji • Tamil: Sarkaraivalli • Telugu: Tutikura • Kannada: Chanthion • Bengali: কলমী সাগ Kulmi sag • Oriya: Kalama saga • Konkani: Takasi vel • Sanskrit: Karemu, Kalambi
Botanical name: Ipomoea aquatica Family: Convolvulaceae (Morning glory family)
Water Morning Glory is a semi-aquatic tropical plant grown as a leaf
vegetable. Its precise natural distribution is unknown due to extensive
cultivation, with the species found throughout the tropical and subtropical
regions of the world. Water Morning Glory grows in water or on moist soil.
Its stems are 2-3 m or more long, hollow, allowing them to float, and these
root at the nodes. The leaves vary from sagittate (typical) to lanceolate,
5-15 cm long and 2-8 cm broad. The flowers are trumpet-shaped, 3-5 cm
diameter, usually white in colour, with a purple center. It is most
commonly grown in East and Southeast Asia. Because it flourishes naturally
in waterways and does not require much if any care, it is used extensively
in Malay and Chinese cuisine.
Identification credit: Prashant More
| Photographed in Maharashtra. |
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