(Talinum triangulare) AKA Philippine spinach or Waterleaf
The plant is for EVERY edible gardener. It was gifted to me by the Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead Florida. This plant will grow anywhere as long as it has water/irrigation. It generously self sows even in poorest soil. We allow it to self sow everywhere then pull it when we no longer want it growing in that location (and eat it that day). Weeding for food, we call it. The above photo is today's "weeding for food".
Ceylon spinach grows year round in just about any soil (yes, even in our awful sandy soil) in SW Florida but it does prefer our hot, rainy summers. Frost will kill it to the ground, however it will most likely come up again. Talinum roots are prone to root knot nematodes, but this does not appear to affect the plant much if you grow it as you would a head of lettuce instead of a perennial plant.
Grown in both full sun and full shade, we cannot tell the difference in quality of the leaves. Ceylon spinach self pollinates and can be propagated from either its tiny seeds or from cuttings. Its petite pink flowers close at night and open in the morning. This plant is used as an annual bedding plant in the Philippines and we hope to see more of this in SW Florida plantings!
We enjoy Ceylon spinach in raw salads and stir fries. It is not suitable to cook beyond stir frying because it breaks apart and becomes mushy. Talinum contains protein, fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin B, niacin, and vitamin C. The negatives: it has high oxalate content which inhibits calcium and iodine absorption.
References: our personal experience and the Philippine Department of Agriculture's publication http://cagayandeoro.da.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/TALINUM.pdf
