Some 3 billion people in the world live outside the cash economy in the world’s poorest nations. Food security and regular supply are their daily concerns. Chronic malnutrition is a leading cause of death and disease for them. Young children are amongst the most affected. One child every 5-10 seconds dies from undernutrition. Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness for someone every minute. Most people in tropical and subtropical countries are iron deficient.
Our goal is to provide information that enables people to choose the right plant for their environment, to give them stable food production and a greater choice of plants to enrich their diets and improve their nutritional wellbeing.
The plant fact sheets listed in this collection are only a small portion of those available from FPI. Please check your plant inquiries in the ECHO Search and reference the FPI plant database for further information.
Most of the plants selected to list here are further described in country-specific publications by Food Plant Solutions (FPS in the Search).
8000 Starchy Staples
7000 Legumes
6000 Leafy Greens
5000 Fruits
4000 Vegetables
3000 Nuts, Seeds, Herbs, and other foods
552 Issues in this Publication (Showing issues 7000 - 6000) Previous | Next
Acacia pennata - Cha-om
Edible Portion: Leaves
A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.
Tylosema fassoglensis - Climbing Marama Bean
EdiblePortion: Pods, Fruit, Seeds, Tubers, Root, Stems - Gum, Vegetable
A trailing or climbing plant. It is evergreen and shrubby. It can be 6 m long. It has a large tuberous root. This can be to a depth of 2.5 m. Young plant parts have rusty coloured hairs. The leaves are simple and almost round but with two lobes or divided at the tip. Leaves are 5-20 cm long by 6-23 cm wide. There are rusty hairs on the veins underneath the leaf. The flower clusters are 2-42 cm long on stalks 2-17 cm long. The flowers have 5 petals. Four of these are yellow and one is reduced to a green stub. The petals are yellow. The outer layer or sepals have wings. Fruit are 7-12 cm long and 4-7 cm wide. The seeds are not quite round and are 1.7-2.8 cm long.
Vigna subterranea - Bambara Groundnut
Edible Portion: Seeds, Leaves, Pods, Vegetable, Nuts
An annual plant. It can either form a bunchy bush or be a trailing plant. Often the creeping stems are near ground level. It often appears as if bunched leaves arise from branched stems near ground level. It has a well developed taproot. The leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaf stalk is erect and thickened near the base. The end leaflet is slightly larger than the side leaflets. Leaflets are about 6 cm long by 3 cm across. The flowers are yellowish-white. They occur in pairs. The fruit are pods which are round and with one seed. Some kinds have 3 seeds. This pod develops under the ground on a long stalk. The flower/fruit stalk elongates after being fertilised and pushes into the soil. The seeds are hard and are of many colours. Pods can be 3.7 cm long.
Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis - Yard Long Bean
Edible Portion: Seeds, Leaves, Pods, Vegetable
A climbing bean with long pods. The vines can be 3 m long. They normally twine around sticks. Dwarf kinds also occur. Leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are oval and side leaflets are at an angle. Leaflets can be 2-16 cm long by 1-12 cm wide. The centre leaflet can have lobes near the base and the side leaflets can have lobes on the outer edge. The leaf stalks can be 2 -13 cm long. The flowering stalks are in the axils of leaves. There can be few or several flowers. The flowers can be white, yellow or blue. Flowers are 1-3 cm long by 1-3 cm wide. Pods are long (up to 90 cm) and flexible. The seeds can vary between white to dark brown. They are oblong or kidney shaped. Seeds are 4-12 mm long by 2-6 mm wide. There are many named cultivated varieties.
Acacia decurrens - Sydney Green Wattle
Edible Portion: Gum, Leaves - Tea
An evergreen tree. It grows to 15 m high with a spread of 5 m across. The stem is green and angled. The young branches are winged. The leaves (phyllodes) are dark green and are divided into secondary leaflets. They have a appearance like a feather. The leaves are 8 cm long with 6-12 pairs of larger leaflets and 60-80 smallest leaflets. The flowers are golden yellow balls in a much branched flower. They are 0.5 cm across. They are in They have a sweet smell. Many flowers occur. The pods are long and constricted between the seeds.
Abelmoschus esculentus - Okra
Edible Portion: Pods, Flowers, Seeds, Leaves, Vegetable
A tropical annual herb. It grows erect, often with hairy stems. It mostly grows about 1 m tall but can be 3.5 m tall. It becomes woody at the base. The leaves have long stalks up to 30 cm long. Leaves vary in shape but are roughly heart shaped with lobes and teeth along the edge. Upper leaves are more deeply divided than lower ones. The flowers are yellow with red hearts. The fruits are green, long and ribbed. They have 5-7 ribs. They are 7.5-15 cm long. The seeds are 4-5 mm across. They are round and dark green. Many varieties exist.
Amaranthus caudatus - Grain Amaranth
Edible parts - Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable
An annual plant which can be 2 m high and 45 cm across. The stems are angular and it can have a single stem or be branched.
It is often limp in the upper parts. Plants are hairy at first but become smooth. Often they are tinged purple. Leaves are 2-4 cm
long by 0.7-1.6 cm wide on a leaf stalk 0.5-1.5 cm long. Leaves can taper to a tip at the end. They can also thin towards the
base. The veins are pale underneath. The flower clusters are in spikes on the side or top branches. The flowers are sometimes
branched and can droop over. They can be 45 cm long. The fruit is oval. Seed are 1-1.3 mm across.
Amaranthus hybridus - Amaranth Greens
Leafy Greens
Edible parts - Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable
An annual herb. It is an upright plant. It grows 80 cm to 2 m tall. It is often green but can be dark red. The leaves are simple and alternate. The leaves are oval shaped and can be 15 cm long. The flowers can be red, yellow or white. They are in spikes at the top of the plant and in the axils of leaves. The seeds are small and shiny and black.
Amaranthus tricolor - Chinese Amaranth
Edible Portion: Leaves, Seeds, Vegetable, Flowers, Leaves - Tea
A herb about 1 m high and spreads 45 cm wide. A small annual leafy green. An upright, much branched annual with a thin membrane covering the stems. Sometimes the plant lies over. The stems are angular. The plant branches in the upper part of the plant. It is smooth and grows from seed each year. Leaves have long leaf stalks which can be 5-10 cm long. Leaves vary in shape, size and colour. The leaf blade can be 5-25 cm long by 2-6 cm wide. Leaves are dull purplish and the top leaves can be yellow or red. Some types have coloured leaves or patterns on the leaves. It has a clumpy seed head at the top. The flower spike at the top can be 30 cm long. The seed are 1-1.2 mm across and black.
Basella alba - Indian Spinach
Edible Portion: Leaves, Tender Stems, Vegetable
An annual or perennial climbing herb with thick fleshy leaves. The vine is smooth and juicy and can be 10 m long. It branches freely. The vine and leaves can be red or green. The leaves are fleshy and pointed at the tip. They can be 8-18 cm long and 8-10 cm across. They are carried alternately along the vine. Leaves can be heart shaped or oval. It has white, pink or red flowers in short spikes which are in the axils of the leaves. Flowers have both sexes. The fruit are round and soft. They can be red, white or black and are 6-8 mm across. The seeds are round and black. They are 3 mm across. (Often the ones with heart shaped leaves are called Basella cordifolia, the ones with a red stem Basella rubra and the short day flowering dark green kind called Basella alba.)
