Corchorus siliquosus
L.
American jute, Slippery bur
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(c) Alan R. Franck, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Alan R. Franck
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Luis Humberto Vicente-Rivera, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Luis Humberto Vicente-Rivera
Description
Slippery bur is a densely branched shrub with a taproot, growing up to 1 metre tall. The plant is harvested from the wild for its leaves, which are used to make a tea.
Edible Uses
The leaves are sometimes cooked and eaten like spinach. The leaves are used as a substitute for China tea.
Distribution
Central America from Panama north to Mexico, southeastern N. America and the Caribbean.
Where It Grows
Leaves - tea,
Cultivation
The plant is a common weed in some parts of Central America.
Other Uses
The plant is used for making besoms.
Other Information
Malvaceae
Notes
A herb.
References (5)
- Ekman Herbarium records Haiti
- Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 216
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 260
- Plants of Haiti Smithsonian Institute http://botany.si.edu/antilles/West Indies
- Sp. pl. 1:529. 1753
