Skip to main content

Chayote (Sechium edule)

Labu siam or jipang or mirliton squash or chayote (Sechium edule) is a plant species in Cucurbitaceae, growing vines and generally upwards, widely planted as food and a source of vitamin C where fresh fruit for salads or lightly cooked to remove sap.

S. edule grows on the ground or climbs large trees up to 12 m high, stems are green, not woody and are usually cultivated anywhere as long as they have support. The ends of the stems are threaded to reach support or link themselves.

Dlium Chayote (Sechium edule)

The leaves are oval, 10-25 cm wide, have many angles as the bones depend on variety and the surface has hair. Male flowers in groups and solitary female flowers, yellowish green, four or five petals and pistils in the middle.

The fruit hangs on the stem, is irregular in egg shape, slightly flattened and has rough wrinkles, 10-20 cm long, green or yellow, has a thin skin, white insides with a single hole, large and flat. Some varieties have thorny skin.

The fruit is boiled briefly to remove sap and eaten for a variety of dishes. Young leaves, roots, stems and seeds are also eaten. Bulbs are eaten like potatoes. Leaves and fruit for diuretics, cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory, hypertension and dissolving kidney stones.

A portion of 100g contains 19 kcal, 0.1g fat, 2mg sodium, 125mg potassium, 17mg calcium, 12mg magnesium, 7.7mg vitamin C, 4.5g carbohydrates, 0.8g protein, 0.3mg iron, and 0.1mg vitamin B6.



Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Sechium
Species: S. edule
Subspesies: Sechium edule edule, Sechium edule sylvestre

Popular Posts

Sea almond (Terminalia catappa)

Ketapang or tropical almond or beach almond or talisay tree or umbrella tree or sea almond ( Terminalia catappa ) is a species of plant in the Combretaceae, a shady tree, fast growing, forming a multilevel canopy, often used as a shade tree in gardens and on roadsides. T. catappa grows large, up to 40 meters in height and up to 1.5 meters in trunk, shady canopy with branches that grow flat and terraced, young trees often look like pagodas while old and large trees often have aerial roots up to 3 meters. The leaves are scattered, mostly at the end of the twig, rounded egg upside down, 8-38 cm long, 5-19 cm wide, the tip is wide, the base is narrow, the upper surface is smooth, green but turns red if to fall out and short stalks. The flowers are small, collected near the tips of the twigs, 8-25 cm long and green-yellow in color. The flowers are not crowned, the petals have five taju, are plate or bell shaped, 4-8 mm long and are white or cream in color. Stamens in two circles and arra...

Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus)

Teki or purple nutsedge ( Cyperus rotundus ) is a species of plant in the Cyperaceae, an erect annual growing to a height of up to 140 cm, the leaves sprout in rows of three from the base to a length of 5-20 cm, ribbon-shaped, pointed tip and green in color. The inflorescence has a stalk with a triangular cross section and is green. The inflorescence has three to eight unequal spikes. The flower is bisexual, has 3 stamina and the pistil has three stigmas. The fruit is achene and triangular. Teki prefers dry places, but will tolerate moist soil and often grows in wastelands and in crop fields. Tubers are an important source of nutrition for migratory cranes. Source of carbohydrates in the tropics in times of famine. The initial stage forms a white fleshy rhizome, 25 mm long and in chains. Some of the rhizomes grow upright above the ground, then form a tuber-like structure from which new shoots and roots grow, new roots and new rhizomes grow. Other rhizomes grow horizontally or down...

Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea)

Sunn hemp ( Crotalaria juncea ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae family, erect, woody shrub, growing up to 2 meters tall, cylindrical stems, angular, green with white hairs. The leaves are elongated, green and thick, up to 20 cm long and up to 4 cm wide. The petioles are up to 1 cm long. The inflorescences are yellow in long panicles. The fruit is an elongated, oval capsule, 3 cm long, with a 1 cm stalk and white hairs. The seeds are shiny, 2-3 mm long capsules. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Faboideae Tribe: Crotalarieae Genus: Crotalaria L. in Sp. Pl.: 714 (1753) Species: Crotalaria juncea L. in Sp. Pl.: 714 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Crotalaria benghalensis Lam. in Encycl. 2: 196 (1786) Crotalaria cannabinua Royle in Ill. Bot. Himal. Mts.: 82 (1834) Crotalaria fenestrata Sims in Bot. Mag. 44: t. 1933 (1817) Crotalaria juncea var. bengalensis (Lam.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. ...