General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Herb/Forb
Life cycle: Other
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Wet
Wet Mesic
Soil pH Preferences: Neutral (6.6 – 7.3)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 12
Plant Spread: Can become invasive in warmer climates
Leaves: Evergreen
Other: strap shape
Fruiting Time: Year Round
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: White
Yellow
Bloom Size: 2"-3"
Flower Time: Year Round
Foliage Mound Height: 1.5 feet
Underground structures: Rhizome
Suitable Locations: Bog gardening
Uses: Vegetable
Salad greens
Cooked greens
Edible Parts: Stem
Leaves
Eating Methods: Raw
Cooked
Fermented
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Resistances: Powdery Mildew
Propagation: Seeds: Depth to plant seed: Plant to depth of seed
Sow in situ
Propagation: Other methods: Cuttings: Stem
Cuttings: Tip
Pollinators: Self
Bees
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
Monoecious
Conservation status: Least Concern (LC)

Conservation status:
Conservation status: Least Concern
Image
Common names
  • Water Spinach
  • Kang Kong
  • Kong Xin Cai
  • Morning Glory
  • Swamp Cabbage
  • Swamp Morning Glory

Photo Gallery
Uploaded by sedumzz
Location: Fairfax, Virginia (May 2022)
Date: 2022-05-15
Location: West Central Tx 
Date: 2022-06-05
A very tasty, high fiber and medicinal plant, used for diabetes,
Location: Hyderabad, India
Date: 2009-08-07
Ipomoea aquatica, photo used with permission. By J.M.Garg (Own wo
Location: Banff, Canada | July, 2022
Date: 2022-07-31

credit: Prenn
Location: Banff, Canada | July, 2022
Date: 2022-07-31
Location: Sumatera Indonesia
Date: 2018-02-17
Uploaded by PlantL0ver123
Location: Sumatera Indonesia
Date: 2017-12-06
Location: Sumatera Indonesia
Date: 2017-12-06
Location: Summeville, SC
Comments:
  • Posted by sedumzz (Fairfax VA - Zone 7a) on Sep 30, 2021 1:51 PM concerning plant:
    A common vegetable you can buy at Asian supermarkets, it is easy to grow from cuttings. The stems are usually cooked without the leaves and are hollow.

    In chinese they are "Kong xin cai", basically "Hollow Vegetable".

    There seem to be 3 different "forms" or "types" of this.
    There is my favorite form, a purple flowered one, a white flowered one, and another form that has very small flowers (also white).
  • Posted by Gardener2493 on Oct 19, 2021 10:02 AM concerning plant:
    This plant is highly invasive in several states. It is easy to propagate and spreads by way of cuttings and seeds. It prefers wetlands and waterways, and is illegal to sell as a vegetable in many areas. Pretty white or pink-throated flowers appear on the plants in summer, giving way to many small seeds. This is a traditional Asian vegetable. Its place of origin is not known.

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