Katuk (Sauropus androgynus)

Katuk or sweet leaf or star gooseberry or Breynia androgyna (Sauropus androgynus) is a species of plants in Phyllanthaceae, clumping, growing chronic, 2-5 m tall, woody stems, tubular with leaf marks, widely used as living fences, vegetables and medicine.

S. androgynus has a taproot and is white. Stems upright, slender, few branches, young green and turn greenish brown with aging, if the tip of the stem is trimmed will grow new shoots that form branches.

Compound leaves, ovoid, pointed tip, blunt base, flat edge, 1-6 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, a bone in the middle, several pinnate veins, short stems, dark green in color with silvery features on the upper surface and bright green on the lower surface.

Compound flowers, umbrella-shaped and grow in the armpit of the leaf. Petals are ovoid and red-purple. Three pistil heads and shaped like a kidney. Three stamens and 5-10 mm stalk length.

Fruit will ride and purple. The fruit is round, a diameter of 1.5 mm and is whitish green. Each fruit has seeds, round, hard and black.

Katuk grows well at altitudes up to 1300 m, has tropical and subtropical adaptations, is productive throughout the year although it tends to be somewhat dormant in cold weather. Tolerant to heat, humidity, sensitive to cold and saline soil. Liked clay soils and pH 6.

Plants are widely used as living fences, shoots are used as asparagus, cooked leaves as vegetables, increase breast milk, treat acne, treat fevers, ulcers and inflammation of the esophagus. The leaves contain papaverina and if excessive can cause side effects such as poisoning.

Leaves contain energy (59.00cal), carbohydrate (11.00g), protein (4.80g), fat (1.00g), calcium (204.00mg), phosphorus (83.00mg), iron (2.70mg), vitamin A (10,371SI), vitamin B1 (0.10mg), vitamin C (239.00mg) and water (81.00g).

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Genus: Sauropus
Species: Sauropus androgynus

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