Tar Vine (Boerhavia diffusa)

Family: Nyctaginaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Spreading Hogweed or Boerhavia diffusa is a flowering plant used in Ayurveda. It is herbaceous and perennial. It grows up 70cm high and spreads up to 200 cm wide. It has slender, creeping and twinning stems. It is found throughout Asia, India, the Pacific, and southern United States. Its small, very sticky fruits that latch on to small migratory birds are considered to be of main factor for the wide dispersal of this species.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Edible portion: Leaves, Root, Fruit, Seeds, (Caution) Vegetable. Root - eaten by the Aborigines of central Australia. The root is long, thick and fleshy. Leaves - cooked as a pot herb or added to soups. Occasionally used as a vegetable. — Edible portion: Leaves, Root, Fruit, Seeds, (Caution) Vegetable.; Root - eaten by the Aborigines of central Australia.; The root is long, thick and fleshy.; Leaves - cooked as a pot herb or added to soups.

Habitat & North American Range

A pioneer of bare areas, usually found on dry sandy soils. (Zone 8)