Emex australis

Steinh.

Spiny emex

Polygonaceae Edible: Leaves, Stem

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Summary

A low-growing annual herb reaching 0.1 m tall with a spread of 0.5 m. Flowers year-round with monoecious flowers. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils across mildly acidic to mildly alkaline pH ranges. Grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist soil.

Description

A small herb. It is like a dock but the stems trail along the ground. It is an annual plant. The leaves are 3-10 cm long on very long stalks. Male and female flowers are separate. The flowers are 2 mm long. The seed pods are large and spiny. The seed pods are about 1 cm long. They have 3 sharp spines.

Edible Uses

Young leaves are edible when cooked. The leaves contain oxalates and are laxative in large quantities.

Traditional Uses

The leaves and stems are steamed and eaten. They are used in stews.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

When eaten in quantity, the leaves have a laxative effect on the body.

Distribution

It is a subtropical plant. It Africa it grows between 120-1,250 m above sea level. It grows in coastal and inland regions in Australia. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Australia, Botswana, East Africa, Eswatini, Hawaii, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, New Zealand, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, South Africa*, Southern Africa, St Helena, Swaziland, Tasmania, USA, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

A serious weed of agriculture in many warmer areas of the world.

Propagation

Seed.

Other Uses

None known

Nutrition

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Leaves	89	151	36	5	—	—	—	—

Also Known As

Bullhead, Cape spinach, Cat's head, Double gee, Dubbeltjie, Duwweltjie, Goathead, Inkunzane, Prickly jack, Three cornered jack

References (19)

Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. ser. 2, 9:195, t. 7. 1838
CABI digital library
Curtis, W.M., 1993, The Student's Flora of Tasmania. Part 3 St David's Park Publishing, Tasmania, p 582
Dashorst, G.R.M., and Jessop, J.P., 1998, Plants of the Adelaide Plains & Hills. Botanic Gardens of Adelaide and State Herbarium. p 52
De Vynk, J. C., et al, 2016, Indigenous edible plant use by contemporary Khoe-San descendants of South Africa's Cape South Coast. South African Journal of Botany. 102 (2016) 60-69

Show all 19 references

Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org
Fox, F. W. & Young, M. E. N., 1982, Food from the Veld. Delta Books. p 304
Hussey, B.M.J., Keighery, G.J., Cousens, R.D., Dodd, J., Lloyd, S.G., 1997, Western Weeds. A guide to the weeds of Western Australia. Plant Protection Society of Western Australia. p 198
Lazarides, M. & Hince, B., 1993, Handbook of Economic Plants of Australia, CSIRO. p 89
Long, C., 2005, Swaziland's Flora - siSwati names and Uses http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora/
Low, T., 1991, Wild Herbs of Australia and New Zealand. Angus & Robertson. p 43 (Drawing)
Low, T., 1992, Bush Tucker. Australia’s Wild Food Harvest. Angus & Robertson. p 151
Morley, B.D., & Toelken, H.R., (Eds), 1983, Flowering Plants in Australia. Rigby. p 85
Plowes, N. J. & Taylor, F. W., 1997, The Processing of Indigenous Fruits and other Wildfoods of Southern Africa. in Smartt, L. & Haq. (Eds) Domestication, Production and Utilization of New Crops. ICUC p 190
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1999). Survey of Economic Plants for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (SEPASAL) database. Published on the Internet; http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/ceb/sepasal/internet [Accessed 4th June 2011]
Ruiters-Welcome, A. K., 2019, Food plants of southern Africa. Ph.D. thesis. Univ. of Johannesburg p 91
Swaziland's Flora Database http://www.sntc.org.sz/flora
Tasmanian Herbarium Vascular Plants list p 45
Welcome, A. K. & Van Wyk, B.-E., 2019, An inventory and analysis of the food plants of southern Africa. South African Journal of Botany 122 (2019) 136–179