Chinese Spinach; Xian Cai; Bayam(M); Pungkirai(T); Yin-Choi(C);
Heng-Chai(H). Amaranthus tricolor L. (Amaranthaceae)
(A. gangeticus)
An upright, much branched annual with a thin membrane covering the stems. Leaves with long petioles vary in shape, size and colour. Herklots (1972) described seven cultivars, of which three are found locally. They are the lanceolate green leaves, rounded green leaves and rounded leaves red in the centre otherwise green. Lee Chew Kang (1979) reported that these varieties interbreed freely so that when a green variety and a red variety are grown close together in the same garden, the leaves of the offspring may have various shades of red.
Origin
Its original home is perhaps India, though the plant has never been found there in a wild state. A, De Candolle (1884) wrote that "All the species of the genus Amaranthus spread themselves in cultivated ground, on rubbish-heaps, by the wayside, and thus become half-naturalised in hot countries as well as in Europe. Hence, the extreme difficulty in distinguishing the species and above all in guessing or proving their origin".
Uses
A very ancient pot herb in South East Asia, many of the more than fifty species in both tropical and temperate regions are eaten as greens. It is probably the best of all tropical spinaches both in flavour and food value. It contains sunstantial amounts of vitamins A, B, C and double the amount of iron found in spinaches.
A much branched herbaceous annual, 20 - 30 cm tall, less commonly cultivated. Leaves are 1 - 3 cm long with exceptionally long petioles.
Uses
It is said to be quite sweet and tasty when cooked in soups or as a table vegetable. It seems to be inferior to A. Tricolor as suggested by its Malay name, duck's spinach (bayam itek).
