10 Graines Ipomoea aquatica, Liseron d'eau, kangkong

Ipomoea aquatica is a herbaceous plant VIVACE, rampant or floating. The cylindrical, hollow, spongy, glabrous or hairy stems can reach more than 3 meters long. They contain a milky white juice. The Leaves, alternate, simple, in Petiole glabrous 3 to 15 cm long, have a limb, glabrous or rarely hair, of very variable shape. The limb is generally sagitted in shape (arrow -shaped), but very variable : truncated, roped, sagittated or hasté at the base, acute or obtuse and mucroned with apex, but always with whole margin. It can reach 8 to 12 cm, or even 17 cm long by 4 to 8 cm wide. It is maintained above the water when the rod is floating. The long petiole makes it possible to distinguish this plant, at an early stage of development, of a close species, merremia trimenttata, which has short petioles3,4.

The flowers, large, clairical, in the shape of a funnel resembling those of the volubilis, are solitary or, rarely, grouped in cymes axillary little supplied, carried by a peduncle of 1, 5 to 8.0 cm long and pedicels 2 to 5 cm long. The Calice, 6 to 8 mm long, glabrous, is composed of sepales Sub-agal, oval-oblong, obtuse and finely mucronized, with fine light margins. The Corolle Infundibuliform, purple, pink-lilas or rarely white, can reach 8 centimeters wide. The stamens, with the filament covered with hair at the base are included in the corolla. The Fruit is a Capsule ovoid or spherical, wood at maturity, 7 to 8 mm long, containing 2 to 4 Seeds Trigouse, grayish, often pubescent (with short hairs)3,4,5.

Ipomoea Aquatica is a species from the center and southern China. Son Distribution area Current extends in Asia, in Africa Tropical, in Australia and in the Pacific Islands, in South America Tropical, in Central America and in the United States, regions where it was introduced in particular by culture and S ' is often naturalized6.

The species adapts to all Aquatic Habitatsfresh water of tropical and subtropical zones. Indeed It is a plant sensitive to frosts, which does not grow well when the temperature is less than 23.9 ° C. It is mainly found in canals and ditches, but it also invades the lakes. The plant grows well in wetlands as in calm waters or with a slight current, for example in muddy banks, marshy shallows, shallow waters of ponds and lakes of fresh water . Due to its prolific growth, this species can invade wet cultivated areas, such as rice fields and the plantations of sugar cane. This species can also pose certain problems. Indeed its long floating stems form, sometimes with other aquatic plants of genres Eichhornia (like Water Jacinthe) and Salvinia (like Salvinie Nageante), dense carpets that can hinder water flow, harm fishing and hinder navigation in fresh waters7,6.

Edible, the leaves and young shoots of the water bind are a vegetable appreciated in the kitchen of East, southern and southeast Asia and are generally consumed, as in the Kangkong Sautéé26. This vegetable is known in China under the name of Kongxincai (空心菜), in Cambodge under that of Trâkuon (ត្រកួន), Au ត្រកួន)