Peristrophe roxburghiana
| Peristrophe roxburghiana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Acanthaceae |
| Genus: | Peristrophe |
| Species: | P. roxburghiana |
| Binomial name | |
| Peristrophe roxburghiana (Roem. & Schult.) Bremek. | |
Peristrophe roxburghiana (syn. Peristrophe tinctoria Nees, Peristrophe baphica (Spreng) Bremek.; also called magenta plant, or lá cẩm in Vietnamese) is a flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae, native to southeastern Asia from Assam south to Sri Lanka and east to mainland Southeast Asia, Java, southern China, and Taiwan.[1][2][3]
It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 50–100 cm tall. The leaves are lanceolate to ovoid-acute, 2–7.5 cm long and 1–3.5 cm wide. The flowers are two-lobed, the long axis up to 5 cm long; they are magenta to reddish-violet.[1][2][4][5]
Cultivation and uses
Culinary use
An extract of its leaves imparts a magenta tone to some Vietnamese foods, particularly in a taro-filled cake called bánh da lợn and glutinous rice dishes such as xôi lá cẩm, a sweet dessert.
Medicinal use
The plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
References
- 1 2 Flora of Taiwan: Peristrophe roxburghiana.
- 1 2 Flora of China (draft): Acanthaceae.
- ↑ Germplasm Resources Information Network: Peristrophe roxburghiana.
- ↑ Taiwan Forestry Flora of Taiwan 4: 183: in Chinese; google translation.
- ↑ photo