Brassicales

Drumstick Tree

This fast growing tree from northern India has been planted worldwide because of it's many uses, only a few of which are as food. The name "Horseradish Tree" comes from the taste of the roots when ground, but they should not be used as a condiment because they contain serious toxins.

The main food parts are the pods (particularly in India) which may be over 18 inches long, and young leaf shoots (particularly in the Philippines and Africa). Powdered seeds are used to clarify and purify water. Many parts of this tree also have medicinal properties (the seeds are supposed to be good for erectile disfunction). Details and Cooking.

Cabbage Tree

This tree, up to 39 feet high, is very similar to M. oleifera but with larger leaflets. It has been domesticated in the Ethiopian Highlands and is grown there on a system of terraces. It has recently been planted in other regions, particularly the Rift Valley. Uses are similar to M. oleifera. Powdered seeds are more effective for clarifying and purifying water than those of M. olieifera.   Photo by treesftf distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike v2.0 Generic.

Papaya

The only notable member of the family Caricaceae, the Papaya is of Central American origin, but now grown in tropical areas throughout the world. It is very distantly related to Cabbages, but is this plant a "branchless tree" or a giant herb? Technically it's an herb.

Unripe papayas are used in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam for their famous green papaya salads, and as a cooked vegetable in India and the Philippines. Ripe papayas are eaten as fruit and made into various fruit drinks and concoctions. They are used worldwide as meat tenderizer and digestive aid. In the photo are a medium size Mexican papaya (upper left, 10-1/2 x 5-3/4 inches 5-1/2 pounds), a typical Hawaiian papaya (lower right, 5-1/2 x 3-1/4 inches 1 pound) and an unripe "green" papaya cut in half (top right). Details and Cooking.

Mountain Papaya

This papaya relative is native to the Andes mountains of northwestern South America from Columbia to central Chile. In grows at altitudes between 5000 and 10,000 feet and can stand dryer weather and much colder temperatures than the regular papaya. The fruit can be up to 6 inches long and 3 inches diameter. Some are now being grown in the highlands of Kenya, and possibly elsewhere. It is used similarly to the regular papaya, both cooked when immature and eaten raw when fully ripe.   Photo by Michael Hermann distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike v3.0 Unported.

Babaco

This hybrid can grow at altitudes even over 6500 feet, and is the most cold tolerant of the Vasconcellea species. This unbranched herb, which can grow to 26 feet high and produce 30 to 60 fruits a year, can live as long as 8 years. It bears only female flowers and seedless fruit with thin, edible skin. It has been successfully grown in California and New Zealand.   Photo by Siegert contributed to the Public Domain .

Capers

Capers are most known to Americans as pickled flower buds used as a flavoring element and garnish in salads, sauces and martinis. In the Mediterranean region, where they are native, fruits, caperberries, are also pickled, as are the leaves. The photo specimens of pickled flower buds came from two bottles, both qualifying for the top "Non-pareilles" designation, though the large ones barely squeaked by at the 7 mm / 0.276 inch maximum. The small ones were typically 4 mm or less.   Details and Cooking.

Meru

This large shrub, to 32 feet tall, is native to Africa in the transition band just south of the Sahara Desert, from Senegal to Eritria (the Sahel). It is also found in Yemen, Israel and Egypt, but is nearing extinction in Egypt. It has been very important to nomadic tribes in the semi-desert regions, particularly as fodder for camels and other animals during the dry season, but has been badly overgrazed over much of its range.

The leaves are an important food for people in Senegal, Mauritania and Niger, used in soups and stews. They are bitter and slightly toxic when raw. Cooked, they taste similar to spinach, but with a much more fibrous texture. After a first cooking they are rinsed out, then pounded in a mortar to make them more tender. They are rich in protein, calcium and iron. The strange "string of beads" fruits are eaten in Mauritania, known there as eb nembe. The plant also has a number of medicinal uses.   Photo from African Plants - A Photo Guide © photographer, permission granted for non-commercial use only.

Karir

This shrub, growing to 15 feet tall, is native to arid regions of Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, particularly northern India. It grows with a dense tangle of leafless branches and can tolerate intense heat and drought, and light frost. The fruits, 3/8 to 3/4 inch diameter, are blue-green when unripe, medium to bright pink when ripe. The fruits are spicy and are used as a flavoring for curries and vegetables, and are also very often pickled. Raw they are bitter, acrid and peppery, but they are tamed to piquant and zesty by cooking or pickling. Small ripe berries are preferred to large ones. Buds are also used, similarly to European capers, before they open into red flowers. The plant also has medicinal uses.   Photo by LRBurdak distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike v3.0 Unported.

Spider Plant

This tree, up to 49 feet high, is native to most of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, and is also found in Japan and Australia. It is also grown in parts of Africa and other tropical regions for its fruit. It bears large white to light purple flowers, which smell somewhat of garlic. Fruits are oval and fairly large, to almost 6 inches long and 2-3/4 inches diameter. They have a hard rough shell, but it is easily broken to expose yellow flesh and large seeds, up to 4 inches long. Young shoots and fruit are used in curries. The fruit is used as a spice because of it's strong garlic taste. The plant has a number of medicinal uses.   Photo by Eric Guinther distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.

Nasturtium

Oddly, Nasturtiums don't belong to genus Nasturtium (Watercress does). This nasturtium species is known mainly as a decorative (and sometimes as an invasive weed), but the leaves are also used in salads to provide an interesting peppery taste. The flowers, which come in shades of yellow, orange and red, have a somewhat milder taste and are used to add colorful edible accents to salads. Immature flower buds are sometimes pickled as a substitute for Capers. The flavor is similar but they are usually larger. The plant has also been used medicinally.   Photo © i0132 .

Mashua

Mashua is an important food plant in the Andes region of South America because it will grow well in poor soils overgrown with weeds at very high altitudes, and is unusually resistant to pests of all kinds.

Caution:   Eating a lot of these will knock you pecker flat and flacid like a limp noodle, drastically lowering testosterone levels in the bargain - it does what saltpeter is reputed to do but doesn't.   Photo by Michael Hermann, distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v4.0 International.

Navajo Spinach

Native to the U.S. Southwest, this is one of the a few wild plants still significantly used for food in North America. The Zuni people in particular cook young shoots, leaves and flowers as a vegetable, and hang leaves to dry for winter use. It's bitter taste is sometimes relieved by adding some iron or rust to the pot. Seeds can be eaten raw or cooked, and are dried and ground to make mush. The plant is also often planted among the usual "Three Sisters" (corn, squash and beans) to attract polinating bees to the garden.   Details and Cooking.   Photo by Matt Lavin distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.

Spiderflower

This herbaceous plant is native to tropical Africa, but has been spread to tropical and sub-tropical regions elsewhere in the world. It is used as a cooking green in South and East Africa, India, Thailand, and the Caribbean. The seeds are used as a substitute for mustard seeds.   Details and Cooking.   Photo by Pau Pámies Grácia distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.

Tickweed

This herbaceous plant is native to most of Sub-Saharan Africa, but not Southern Africa. It is also found in tropical Asia, Northern India and the tropical Americas. The somewhat bitter leaves, which also have a peppery flavor like mustard leaves, are eaten fresh, dried or cooked. The fruit pods are eaten pickled. The seeds, called Jakhya, are used similarly to mustard seeds, mainly in the plain south of the Himalayan foothills. Details and Cooking.   Photo by H Brisse distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.