Begonia tuberosa

Lam.

Tuberous Begonia

Begoniaceae Edible: Leaves as condiment, Spice, Flowers Potential hazards — see below 1,996 iNaturalist observations

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iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc-sa

Description

A tropical plant in the Begoniaceae family, represented by several hybrid cultivars.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

The leaves are cooked with fish or boiled into a sauce. The flowers have a lemon flavour and can be eaten in salads, used in desserts, or made into sauces. The leaf stalks can be used as a rhubarb substitute in pies.

Traditional Uses

The leaves are eaten and cooked with fish. They are also boiled down into a sauce. The flowers can also be eaten in salads or used in desserts or made into sauces. They have a lemon flavour. The leaf stalks can be used as a rhubarb substitute in pies. Caution: They can contain oxalic acid.

Known Hazards

The leaves and stalks can contain oxalic acid.

Distribution

A tropical plant.

Where It Grows

Asia, Indonesia, SE Asia,

Notes

There are 900-1,000-1,500 Begonia species.

Synonyms

Possibly Begonia x tuberhybridanon B. tuberosa Lam., nom. illeg.? (= B. muricata Blume)

References (7)

Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 316
Burnie, G.(Ed.), 2003, Annuals and Bulbs. The Gardener's Handbooks. Fog City Press. p 247
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 48
Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 98, 178
Seidemann J., 2005, World Spice Plants. Economic Usage, Botany, Taxonomy. Springer. p 64

Show all 7 references