Telosma cordata
| Telosma cordata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Telosma cordata [1] | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Gentianales |
| Family: | Apocynaceae |
| Subfamily: | Asclepiadoideae |
| Genus: | Telosma |
| Species: | T. cordata |
| Binomial name | |
| Telosma cordata (Burm.f.) Merr. | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Telosma cordata is a species of flowering plant native to China. It is cultivated elsewhere and may occur wild as an introduced species. Common names include Chinese violet, cowslip creeper, Pakalana vine, Tonkin jasmine, Tonkinese creeper. The plant bears clusters of golden yellow blooms along the vining stems during summer months. Individual blooms emerge successively over a period of weeks emitting a rich, heavy fragrance during the day and night. Caution, stem is poisonous to pigs.
Characteristics
The Cowslip is classified as a creeper that can climb as far as 2-5 meters. The vine is small, round and very tough. As the tree is older, the vine will change from green to brown. The top is covered with dense white bush that can cover other trees completely. The Cowslip is reproduced by cutting or seeding. It can grow in airy soil and in bright sunlight. It can be found in dry evergreens, mixed deciduous forests, grove woods and dry dipterocarp forests all over Thailand.
Leaf
The Cowslip has single heart-shaped leaves growing in pairs. The leaf is about 4-7.5 cm wide and about 6-11 cm long with smooth underside. Thickness of the leaf is very small, veins can be clearly seen. The stem is about 1.2-2 cm long.
Flower
The flowers of the Cowslip blooms as a bouquet consisting of about 10-20 flowers. The greenish-yellow flower has a strong fragrance especially in the evening. It has a diameter of about 1.5 cm with 5 pedals and 5 stamens which is connected to each other and to the pistils. Blooming season of the Cowslip is March-May although sometimes in July-October.
Fruit
The fruit of the Cowslip is smooth, green and round with pointy ends. The inside contains large amount of flat seeds with white fluff attached to the end. The produce season is around June-August.
Usages
Main course
The top, fruit and flower can be eaten as vegetable or cooked and eaten with Thai style chilli. It can also be made into a variety of menus. (the top is the most nutritious)
Dessert
The flower can be made into a dessert by steaming and mixing with coconut and seasoned with sugar, sesame and a bit of salt.
Others
The flower can be made into bouquets and wreaths. The vine is very tough and can be used as rope. The plant can be used as a decoration. The wood can be used for construction in some cases.
Nutritional value per 100 g.
| Nutritions | Value per 100 g. |
|---|---|
| Carbohydrate | 10.6 g. |
| Protein | 5.0 g. |
| Fat | 1.1 g. |
| Fibre | 0.8 g. |
| Water | 80.5 g. |
| Vitamin A | 3.0 g. |
| Vitamin B1 | 0.0004 g. |
| Vitamin B2 | 0.0015 g. |
| Vitamin B3 | 0.0017 g. |
| Vitamin C | 0.68 g. |
| Calcium | 0.7 g. |
| Iron | 0.01 g. |
| Phosphorus | 0.9 g. |
References
- ↑ illustration circa 1790 from James Edward Smith and James Sowerby - Icones pictae plantarum rariorum descriptionibus et observationibus illustratae
- ↑ The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 30 December 2015
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Telosma cordata. |
- Glass-noodles with Shrimps and Pakalana Flowers
- ขจร สรรพคุณและประโยชน์ของดอกขจร 24 ข้อ ! (ผักสลิด,ดอกสลิด). 2016. ขจร สรรพคุณและ ประโยชน์ของดอกขจร 24 ข้อ ! (ผักสลิด,ดอกสลิด). [ONLINE] Available at: http://frynn.com/ขจร/. [Accessed 02 February 2016].