Philippine spinach (Talinum fruticosum)

Philippine spinach (Talinum fruticosum) is a species of plant in the Talinaceae family. It is an erect, non-woody herb, growing up to 100 cm tall. The leaves are radially arranged, up to 15 cm long and 5 cm wide, with a large central vein. The surface is smooth, shiny, dark green, and pinnate at the base.

The inflorescences are in clusters. The flowers are fan-shaped with five red or white petals, with yellow anthers. Fruit round, up to 5 mm wide. This plant grows wild in colonies on forest floors, agricultural lands, roadsides, and abandoned areas.



TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Talinaceae
Genus: Talinum Adans. in Fam. Pl. 2: 245, 609 (1763)
Species: Talinum fruticosum (L.) Juss. in Gen. Pl.: 312 (1789)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Portulaca fruticosa L. in Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2 (1759)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Ruelingia triangularis (Jacq.) Ehrh. in Beitr. Naturk. Verw. Wiss. 3 (1788)
Calandrinia andrewsii (Sweet) Sweet in Hort. Brit., ed. 2 (1830)
Calandrinia lockhartii Sweet (1830)
Calandrinia pachypoda Diels in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 37 (1906)
Claytonia triangularis (Jacq.) Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 1 (1891)
Claytonia triangularis var. crassifolia (Jacq.) Kuntze (1891)
Portulaca crassicaulis Jacq. in Hort. Bot. Vindob. 3 (1777)
Portulaca crassifolia Jacq. (1777)
Portulaca paniculata L. in Sp. Pl., ed. 2. (1762)
Portulaca racemosa L. (1762)
Portulaca triangularis Jacq. in Enum. Syst. Pl. (1760)
Talinum andrewsii Sweet in Hort. Brit. (1826)
Talinum attenuatum Rose & Standl. in Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 13 (1911)
Talinum confusum Rose & Standl. (1911)
Talinum crassicaule (Jacq.) Willd. in Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 2 (1799)
Talinum crassifolium (Jacq.) Willd. (1800)
Talinum crassifolium var. albiflorum DC. in Prodr. 3 (1828)
Talinum diffusum Rose & Standl. (1911)
Talinum grandiflorum Lockh. ex G.Don in J.C.Loudon, Hort. Brit. (1830)
Talinum mucronatum Kunth in F.W.H.von Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth, Nov. Gen. Sp. 6 (1823)
Talinum patens Andrews in Bot. Repos. 4 (1802)
Talinum racemosum Rohrb. in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 14(2) (1872)
Talinum revolutum Kunth (1823)
Talinum triangulare (Jacq.) Willd. (1799)
Talinum triangulare var. purpureum Ram.Goyena in Fl. Nicarag. 1 (1909)

PUBLICATIONS

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.

Allred, K.W. (2012). Flora Neomexicana, ed. 2, 1: 1-599. Range Science Herbarium, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Aung, Y.L., Aung, M.H., Tan, Y. & Jin, X. (2025). An updated checklist of vascular plants of Myanmar. PhytoKeys 261: 135-364.

Boggan, J. Funck, V. & Kelloff, C. (1997). Checklist of the Plants of the Guianas (Guyana, Surinam, Franch Guiana) ed. 2: 1-238. University of Guyana, Georgetown.

Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2003). Flora of North America North of Mexico 4: 1-559. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.

Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Greuter, W. & al. (eds.) (2022). Flora de la republica de Cuba : Serie A, Plantas vasculares 27.

Hammel, B.E., Grayum, M.H., Herrera, C. & Zamora, N. (eds.) (2014). Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica 7: 1-840. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Jørgensen, P.M. & León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999). Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: i-viii, 1-1181. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.

Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.

Mendoza F., J.M. & Wood, J.R.I. (2013). Taxonomic revision of Talinum (Talinaceae) in Bolivia with a note on the occurrence of Phemeranthus (Montiaceae). Kew Bulletin 68: 233-247. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Nelson-Sutherland, C. (2010). Adiciones y Comentarios a la Flora de Honduras. Ceiba; a Scientific and Technical Journal Published by Zamorano 51: 70-88.

Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.

Zuloaga, F.O., Belgrano, M.J. & Zanotti, C.A. (eds.) (2021). Flora Argentina. Flora vascular de la República Argentina 19(2): 1-466. INTA, IMBIV & IBODA.

Zuloaga, F.O., Morrone, O. , Belgrano, M.J., Marticorena, C. & Marchesi, E. (eds.) (2008). Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares del Cono Sur. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 107: 1-3348. Missouri Botanical Garden.

van Proosdij, A.S.J. (2012). Arnoldo's Zakflora, ed. 4: 1-318. Walburg Pers, Zutphen.

VERNACULAR NAME

Chinese (simplified): 棱轴土人参
Chinese (traditional): 稜軸土人參 - 巴參菜
Danish: Trekanttalinum
English: Philippine spinach, Ceylon spinach, Waterleaf, Cariru, Gbure, Potherb fameflower, Sweetheart
Filipino: Talilong, Galaghati, Biala
Ghana: Kutu bataw
Indonesia: Krokot belanda, Kolesom, Som, Polsem
Java: Krokot belanda
Kannada: Gida basale
PNG: Kumu manus
Portuguese: Beldroega-Grande
Spanish: Quelite
Tamil: சாம்பார் கீரை Sambar keerai
Thai: โสมไทย

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium