Katuk
Sauropus Androgynus

days to maturity:
plant spacing: 1 plant every 2 feet
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours, partial shade
look out for:
harvest notes: harvest tender shoot tips often
perennial

Katuk is one of the most popular leaf vegetables in South Asia and Southeast Asia and is notable for high yields and palatability. The shoot tips have been sold as tropical asparagus. In Vietnam, the locals cook it with crab meat, minced pork or dried shrimp to make soup. In Malaysia, it is commonly stir-fried with egg or dried anchovies. The flowers and small purplish fruits of the plant have also be eaten In Indonesia, the leaves of the plant are used to make infusion, believed to improve the flow of breast milk for breastfeeding mothers. Plant in partial shade with very fertile soil and the tips of the plant will elongate, forming the tender shoot tips. harvest them often and they will quickly grow back in the heavy rains of summer. Katuk shrubs make good hedges.