Limnocharis flava

Limnocharis flava is roughly 50 cm tall. growing in clumps. Its triangular-shaped leaves and hollow stems are glabrous. Its inflorescences have a very characteristic shape, producing three-lobed yellow flowers about 1.5 cm in diameter. The fruits are spherical. Although it is not a floating plant, its seeds are carried away by currents.
Yellow velvetleaf grows generally wherever there is not very deep stagnant fresh water, in swampy areas. It sometimes invades rice fields where it can become a weed. As an invasive species it has become a pest in some wetlands in other parts of the world.

Traditionally this plant is an important vegetable in parts of Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam,Laos, Isan (Thailand) and parts of India, where the central flower stalk and the leaves are used in soups, curries, salads and stir-fries. The immature flower buds are also eaten. Owing to its flat taste, in some areas it is considered "poor people's food" or emergency food, eaten whenever there is not much else left. This characteristic was put into song by Muhammad Arief, in the 1940s hit Genjer-genjer in the Banyuwangi language in Java.

L. flava is valued as an ornamental plant in some countries and cultivated in botanic gardens or private homes. Known introductions of the species for ornamental use has been documented in the USA, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Indonesia (Abhilash, 2004; Corlett, 1988; van Steenis, 1954; Senartana, 1940). In some South-East Asian countries L. flava is used as a source of food. For example, in Java the plant is a much-esteemed vegetable, which is cultivated in rice fields and sold in markets for its young leaves, stems and flower clusters (Abhilash, 2004). In Vietnam, L. flava occurs naturally in many bodies of water and is used as a vegetable in dishes; it is particularly popular in the Mekong Delta. 


Known as keo neo or cu neo, it is frequently gathered by ethnic Vietnamese (Kinh) women and sold in local markets and by boat vegetable vendors. The young leaves and tops of the plant are boiled or cooked in mixed soups. The vegetable contains relatively high levels of Ca, Fe and ß-carotene, which are minerals that are frequently insufficient in the diets of women in low-income countries (Ogle et al. 2001). The leaves of L. flava are also collected for household consumption in Bangladesh by women (Sultana et al. ICLARM).