Elatostema reticulatum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rainforest spinach | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Main Range National Park | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Urticaceae |
| Genus: | Elatostema |
| Species: | E. reticulatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Elatostema reticulatum | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
| |
Elatostema reticulatum, commonly known as rainforest spinach, is a plant in the nettle family Urticaceae endemic to eastern areas of Queensland and New South Wales.[4][5][6] It is a course straggly herb growing to 50–100 cm (20–39 in) high, and may form dense mats on the forest floor.[4][5][6] It prefers wet shaded areas in rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest, and is often found in and beside streams as well as on wet rock faces.[4][5][6] The natural range of the plant is from near Batemans Bay in the south to the ranges and tablelands near Cairns in the north.[4][5][6][7]
This species was first described in 1854 by the English-French botanist Hugh Algernon Weddell, who published his paper in the journal Annales des Sciences Naturelles.[2][6] The specific epithet reticulatum is a reference to the prominent reticulate venation of the leaves.[4]
Joan Cribb suggests the stems and young leaves are edible, and taste better than spinach.[8]
