Katuk- Potted Plant

Katuk is a jungle plant from Southeast Asia that is a traditional leafy green vegetable in that part of the world.  It is a strongly perennial plant that loves heat and humidity and for these reasons is one of the strongest options for a Florida summertime green.  The greens of katuk are primarily available to eat in the times of year where traditional vegetables cannot tolerate the sweltering conditions.  Plants are very well adapted to Florida and specimens 30 years old exist in the state.  Katuk is sometimes called “sweet leaf” due to the pleasant, nutty flavor of the greens.  Leaves can be eaten raw, though to our taste are best only composing a small percentage of a salad.  Their real contribution is as a cooked green where they excel in stir-fries, curries, soups and beyond.  The tender, newer growth has the best flavor and texture.  Nutritional analysis has shown katuk to be extremely nutrient dense like other perennial greens such as Moringa and Chaya.

This plant has the advantage of being well adapted to some shade, making it a great option for multi-layered plantings where it is underneath the canopy of taller trees.  It is a shrubby plant that grows to about 8 feet tall.  It can be pruned to the ground annually and regenerate back to this size in one season.  Though the above ground tissue is cold sensitive, katuk can resprout from the ground well after freezes.  We have observed established katuk plants easily return from the roots after 20 degree cold events in Central Florida.  We don’t know the northern range where katuk can survive as a dieback perennial but likely into Gainesville or even further north.

We have never witnessed any pest or disease issue with katuk.  In the right location it can essentially be planted and forgotten about and picked when needed through a good portion of the year.  For these reasons, this is an fantastic option for Florida gardens and should be a mainstay of yards throughout the state.  We thank ECHO in Ft Myers for promoting katuk for so many years!

A word of caution – at one point there was a diet craze in Japan that involved drinking large volumes of juiced katuk that resulted in long term lung damage.  Eating moderate amounts of katuk in the diet is a well established safe thing to do, proven by the millions of people in Asia who rely on it.  We eat it regularly in our household.  However, we do not recommend juicing katuk or otherwise eating massive amounts of the leaves raw.

This listing is for one live potted katuk plant in a 4 inch pot.

Sauropus androgynous