Asiatic Dayflower - Good Eating

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Asiatic Dayflower

Good Eating

By John D. McCann

It should be noted that I am not an edible plant expert, nor do I play one on television. I rely on reputable identification books on the subject (such as Samuel Thayer's books, Peterson field guide to Edible Wild Plants, and Steve Brill's), and the advice of various experts. Also, like all edible plants, they have the potential to cause allergic reactions and may otherwise be disagreeable to some people, even if identified properly as edible plants.

Asiatic Dayflower is a spiderwort and is an erect or reclining 3-petaled plant. The lower petal is smaller than those above. They support curved stamens. Note the heart-shaped spathe just below the flowers. The leaves, at their base, wrap around the stem to form a sheath. They are found at roadsides, waste places, and edges. They are found in the East From Wisconsin to Massachusetts, down to about Georgia.

A view of one of our front banks, full of Asiatic Dayflower.

A closer view of the flower and leaves.

A close-up of the flower.

The young leaves, flowers, and stems can be used raw in salads. However we like to steam them for 10 minutes and eat them like spinach. Although we eat a lot of wild edibles this is one of our favorite steamed.

12 oz. of Asiatic Dayflower leaves and flowers harvested.

Asiatic Dayflower, like spinach, cooks down a lot when boiling or steaming. Pick a lot, as you will be surprised how it shrinks in the pot.

This is only half of the bag harvested. It will cook down for the rest.

This is what the whole bag looks like after it was steamed for about 10 min.

Ready to consume with mashed potatoes and barbequed ribs.

For the 12. oz. harvested, there was about three servings. Try them, you'll like them!

We hope you enjoyed this article and, as always. Be Prepared To Survive!

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