by Gael (Plot 234)

 

 

 

 

 

I had not tasted this herb till recently and it has become a new favourite. Coming originally from Papua and New Guinea, this little gem is easy to grow with fleshy dark green leaves and light blue flowers (may not flower in our zone.) It grows to about 60 cm forming a delicious little bush that grows in partial shade to full sun. It prefers a rich loam but is fairly tolerant of most soils, likes a fair amount of water but does not like to be waterlogged.

Rungia has a mild sweetish flavour with a hint of mushroom, hence its common name. It is useful in salads, sandwiches, stir fries and cooked as a green. Rich in iron, beta-carotene and Vitamin C it is deliciously nutritious. Useful in place of mushrooms for people suffering from candida and thrush. Easily grown from cuttings in Spring, and planted 60 cm apart. Frost tender and dies down in Winter to re- emerge in Spring.

Watch out for it in the herb garden assuming my cuttings grow.

References: http://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2791188/mushroom-plant by Daisyduckworth
Green Harvest, Mushroom plant growing information by Francis Michael