510:; i.e., the sap, juice and hydrocyanic acids should, ideally, never contact one’s mouth, eyes, genitals, nose, inner ears or any otherwise open wound or injury. Varying complications can arise from this, ranging from simple irritation to severe burning pain, temporary blindness (if contact is made with the eyes) and loss of smell or taste (in the nose or mouth). While not recommended to consume raw, some sources state that no more than 2-5 raw leaves can, potentially, be eaten per day. However, to truly be eaten safely, the required cooking time for leaves is 5–15 minutes, with 20 minutes being recommended most often in recipes. Additionally, it should not be cooked in aluminum cookware, due to the “malleable”, soft nature of aluminum and the corrosive nature of this plant’s innate alkaloids.
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about 6-12 inches long, as seeds are produced only rarely. Early growth is slow as roots are slow to develop on the cuttings, so leaves are not harvested until the second year. Thereafter, chaya leaves may be harvested continuously so long as no more than 50% of the leaves are removed from the
687:
Young chaya leaves and the thick, tender stem tips are cut and boiled as a spinach. It is a tasty vegetable and is exceptionally high in protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin A. In fact, levels of chaya leaf nutrients are twofold to threefold greater than any other land-based leafy green vegetable.
695:
Traditionally, leaves are immersed and simmered for 20 minutes and then served with oil or butter. Cooking for 20 minutes or more will render the leaves safe to eat. The stock or liquid in which the leaves are cooked may be safe for consumption also, as the cyanide is volatilized as
786:
614:
reported that higher yields of greens could be obtained with chaya than any other vegetable they had studied. In another study chaya leaves were found to contain substantially greater amounts of
633:
and require gloves for harvesting. Cooking destroys the stinging hairs as well as toxins found in the raw plant. Chaya is one of the most productive green vegetables.
1605:
1382:
1421:
1685:
457:, the entire plant contains a caustic, viscous and potentially dangerous white sap which flows readily when any part of the plant is broken, cut or damaged.
575:
on the leaves. There are four predominant cultivars, based on leaf morphology, notably 'Chayamansa' (the most common), 'Estrella', 'Picuda', and 'Redonda'.
460:
The plant can grow to be 6 metres (20 ft) tall, but usually is pruned to approximately 2 metres (6.6 ft) for easier leaf harvest. It is a popular
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damage. It may be a tender perennial in the United States, but persists in climates such as
Florida. It is tolerant of heavy rain and has some
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712:, 'Picuda', 'Estrella', 'Chayamansa', and 'Redonda'. Cultivars 'Estrella', 'Redonda', and 'Chayamansa' cannot produce
88:
1631:
1486:
1426:
1216:
1166:
1063:
Kuti, J. O.; Konuru, H. B. (2004). "Antioxidant
Capacity and Phenolic Content in Leaf Extracts of Tree Spinach (
984:
1720:
1715:
1636:
1046:
Ideas for growing food under difficult conditions - From
Amaranth to Zai Holes - ECHO / ECHO development notes
1491:
672:. Cooking is essential prior to consumption to inactivate the toxic components. In this, chaya is similar to
749:
Botanic
Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2019).
1257:
469:
440:
680:
and must be cooked before being eaten. Cooking in aluminum utensils can result in a toxic broth, causing
484:
held high above the foliage, superficially resembling the small flowering bracts of similar plants like
205:
20:
1584:
1348:
874:
453:-like leaves"—coincidentally, another well-known dangerous, even deadly, genus of plants. As with most
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The leaves should always be cooked before being eaten, as the raw leaves contain a high amount of
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family members. Care should be taken to avoid getting any raw plant material into one’s
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724:, while cultivar 'Picuda' and other cultivars can. These cultivars do not have many
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914:
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1171:(Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International) Invasive Species Compendium
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661:
611:
496:
473:
182:
596:
485:
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1195:
Ross-Ibarra, J.; A. Molina-Cruz (December 2002). "The
Ethnobotany of Chaya (
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709:
677:
665:
615:
534:
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1504:
1088:
1042:"The nutritive value of chaya, one of the most productive green vegetables"
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of the species, therefore they are more present in culinary use.
1322:
713:
657:
607:
480:. White, typically unremarkable flowers are borne of a terminal
1255:
853:. Vol. 2: Vegetables. PROTA Foundation. pp. 200–201.
621:
The numerous white flowers of the plants attract butterflies.
1245:
Chaya: characteristics, properties, cultivation, care, recipe
1147:
Kuti, Joseph O.; Torres, Eliseo S. (1996). J. Janick (ed.).
1217:
10.1663/0013-0001(2002)056[0350:TEOCCA]2.0.CO;2
1149:"Potential nutritional and health benefits of tree spinach"
664:, however, raw chaya leaves are toxic as they contain a
537:, and is cultivated in other countries, as far south as
603:
plant, in order to guarantee healthy new plant growth.
1036:
1034:
571:) are the most widely cultivated, with their lack of
19:"Tree spinach" redirects here. It may also refer to
1528:
1264:
945:
943:
560:is restricted to a small area in western MĂ©xico.
1239:Chaya - NUS Community, Bioversity International
813:"Search Results for: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius"
502:, in addition to the irritating sap typical of
8:
1013:"Vegetables and Small Fruits in the Tropics"
583:Chaya is easy to grow and it suffers little
684:, so aluminium cookware should be avoided.
431:that is believed to have originated in the
1252:
1069:Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
979:
977:
975:
847:G.J.H. Grubben; O.A. Denton, eds. (2004).
62:
38:
27:
1117:
1115:
1113:
842:
840:
838:
1203:Breckon): A Nutritious Maya Vegetable".
1104:"Chaya – Cnidoscolus chayamansa McVaugh"
817:Global Biodiversity Information Facility
676:, which also contains toxic hydrocyanic
1142:
1140:
1106:. University of Florida IFAS Extension.
893:United States Department of Agriculture
884:Germplasm Resources Information Network
787:"EOL Search: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius"
741:
424:, is a large, fast-growing and leafy
7:
728:compared to other cultivars and the
1686:IUCN Red List least concern species
1167:"Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (chaya)"
985:"Nature's Solution to Malnutrition"
760:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
850:Plant Resources of Tropical Africa
14:
1637:urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:131425-2
87:
1492:urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:61821-2
1123:"Chaya, the Maya miracle plant"
660:; and is also a rich source of
310:(Brandegee) Pax & K.Hoffm.
1:
889:Agricultural Research Service
688:Chaya leaves have a possible
307:Cnidoscolus longipedunculatus
529:to northern MĂ©xico south to
472:, used similarly to cooked
1737:
1125:. Mexconnect. October 2009
913:Grubben, G. J. H. (2004).
708:There are four well known
644:Chaya is a good source of
331:Cnidoscolus quinquelobatus
18:
1696:Trees of Northern America
1296:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
1266:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
1197:Cnidoscolus Aconitifolius
877:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
753:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
563:Plants in the Chayamansa
519:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
470:Central American cuisines
447:, refers to the plant’s "
409:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
374:Sessé & Moc. Ex Cerv.
355:Jatropha longipedunculata
269:
262:
251:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
242:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
238:
233:
215:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
211:
204:
84:Scientific classification
82:
60:
51:
46:
37:
32:Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
30:
1706:Plants described in 1923
1701:Trees of Central America
767:: e.T146774680A146774682
668:that can release toxic
700:(HCN) during cooking.
641:
395:Jatropha quinquelobata
315:Cnidoscolus napifolius
273:Cnidoscolus chayamansa
1530:Jatropha aconitifolia
1153:Progress in New Crops
639:
618:than spinach leaves.
595:is normally by woody
339:Jatropha deutziiflora
283:Jatropha aconitifolia
197:C. aconitifolius
21:Chenopodium giganteum
1711:Tropical agriculture
992:Miraclesinaction.org
823:on 22 September 2012
791:Encyclopedia of Life
629:Some varieties have
412:, commonly known as
387:Jatropha quinqueloba
323:Cnidoscolus palmatus
299:Cnidoscolus fragrans
1248:- Warbleton Council
54:Conservation status
1102:James M Stephens.
642:
363:Jatropha napifolia
1673:
1672:
1448:Open Tree of Life
1258:Taxon identifiers
1081:10.1021/jf030246y
919:. PROTA. p.
860:978-90-5782-147-9
559:
464:in some regional
433:Yucatán Peninsula
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347:Jatropha fragrans
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291:Cnidoscolus chaya
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1048:. Archived from
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1015:. Archived from
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989:
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959:People.umass.edu
956:
950:Dawn Berkelaar.
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819:. Archived from
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783:
777:
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772:
746:
726:urticating hairs
720:due to unviable
698:hydrogen cyanide
549:
543:C. aconitifolius
508:mucous membranes
500:hydrocyanic acid
441:specific epithet
435:of southeastern
397:
389:
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373:
371:Jatropha palmata
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1721:Mexican cuisine
1716:Leaf vegetables
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1205:Economic Botany
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490:crown-of-thorns
379:Jatropha papaya
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16:Species of tree
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1211:(4): 350–36.
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793:. 4 June 2010
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569:C. chayamansa
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523:aconitifolius
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504:Euphorbiaceae
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334:(Mill.) LeĂłn
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318:(Desr.) Pohl
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302:(Kunth) Pohl
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1691:Cnidoscolus
1357:iNaturalist
1290:Wikispecies
1065:Cnidoscolus
625:Consumption
612:Puerto Rico
593:Propagation
591:tolerance.
579:Cultivation
474:Swiss chard
234:Subspecies
227:I.M.Johnst.
184:Cnidoscolus
127:Angiosperms
47:'Estrella'
1680:Categories
1461:Plant List
1155:: 516–520.
916:Vegetables
736:References
678:glycosides
640:Chaya leaf
547:polyanthus
486:poinsettia
468:and other
455:euphorbias
255:polyanthus
1545:Q38916514
1466:kew-44157
1414:146774680
730:wild type
710:cultivars
704:Cultivars
692:effect.
666:glucoside
616:nutrients
610:study in
558:) Breckon
535:Guatemala
426:perennial
358:Brandegee
191:Species:
97:Kingdom:
1650:12802664
1645:Tropicos
1611:10897122
1598:131425-2
1539:Wikidata
1505:12802542
1500:Tropicos
1388:11161464
1275:Wikidata
1225:20681734
1089:14709023
1067:spp.)".
997:18 March
964:18 March
771:14 March
682:diarrhea
650:vitamins
600:cuttings
556:K.Hoffm.
541:, while
514:Taxonomy
450:Aconitum
264:Synonyms
169:Family:
140:Eudicots
74:IUCN 3.1
1572:3073532
1375:61821-2
1336:3073512
1323:1147716
1281:Q928244
1176:21 June
1023:10 July
952:"CHAYA"
827:28 June
797:28 June
674:cassava
670:cyanide
654:calcium
646:protein
589:drought
545:subsp.
527:endemic
521:subsp.
482:panicle
478:spinach
466:Mexican
439:. The
342:Croizat
294:Lundell
277:McVaugh
253:subsp.
244:subsp.
179:Genus:
159:Order:
101:Plantae
72: (
1624:515340
1474:PLANTS
1440:209567
1427:398630
1401:501597
1362:273715
1223:
1129:31 May
1087:
935:chaya.
927:
898:31 May
857:
722:pollen
656:, and
585:insect
567:(syn.
531:Belize
437:MĂ©xico
382:Medik.
153:Rosids
1606:IRMNG
1585:20688
1559:3QN5J
1453:30319
1383:IRMNG
1349:70189
1221:S2CID
1199:SSP.
988:(PDF)
955:(PDF)
718:fruit
714:seeds
565:group
497:toxic
429:shrub
420:, or
414:chaya
398:Mill.
390:Sessé
366:Desr.
350:Kunth
286:Mill.
223:Mill.
147:Clade
134:Clade
121:Clade
108:Clade
1632:POWO
1619:ITIS
1593:IPNI
1580:GRIN
1567:GBIF
1487:POWO
1479:CNAC
1422:NCBI
1409:IUCN
1396:ITIS
1370:IPNI
1344:GRIN
1331:GBIF
1310:WJGB
1178:2021
1131:2011
1085:PMID
1025:2009
999:2022
966:2022
925:ISBN
900:2011
855:ISBN
829:2010
799:2010
773:2023
765:2019
658:iron
608:USDA
597:stem
554:and
539:PerĂş
533:and
1658:WFO
1554:CoL
1513:WFO
1318:EoL
1305:CoL
1213:doi
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552:Pax
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