Sauropus androgynus

English: Star gooseberry; Sweet leaf.
Name: Katuk.
Chinese: Mani cai.
Japanese: Amame shiba.
Malay: Cekur manis; Sayur manis; Asin-asin.
Thai: Pak waan.
Vietnamese: Rau ngót.
Philippines: Chinese Malunggay.
Kerala: Madhura cheera.
Clades: Phyllanthaceae.
Content: vitamin K; rovita-min A; carotenoids; vitamin B; vitamin C, papaverine; proteins; minerals.
Region: tropics; east and southeast Asia, India, Bangladesh, S. China, to Indonesia, Vietnam.
Habitat: slopes with brushwood, sunny forest margins; elevations of 100 - 400 metres; annual daytime temperatures from 26 - 35°c; annual rainfall in the range 900 - 1,200mm;n full sun and semi shade; well-drained; tolerates dry conditions; does not require a rich soil, tolerant of very heavy soils; fairly resistant to insect predations.
Use: medicinal; vegetable; leaves, raw or cooked for food, salads, soups, vegetable, sweet like fresh garden peas, like asparagus; tropical asparagus; leaves are nutritious, with ± 10% protein; fruits for sweetmeats; leaves give a green dye for food dyeing.TaxonomySauropus androgynus species may be transferred to the genus Phyllanthus. Wagner proposed submerging the genera Breynia, Glochidion, Reverchonia, Phyllanthodendron, and Sauropus into a broadened Phyllanthus.BotanyShrub, about 3 metres tall.
Leaves: green oval, dark, ± 5 cm long.LiteratureWagner, Warren L. & Lorence, David H.; A nomenclator of Pacific oceanic island Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae), including Glochidion; PhytoKeys 4:67-94;2011.