Australian Bush Tucker Bites presents Scurvy Weed (Commelina diffusa).

This is a controversial plant. I can’t identify it on iNaturalist without arguments ensuing. Click here to read about why.

Indigenous Australians have used plants in the Commelina genus as a green vegetable for thousands of years. When Captain James Cook charted Australia’s East Coast in 1770, his sailors were encouraged to eat this plant to prevent Scurvy due to its high levels of Vitamin C. It also boasts niacin, riboflavin and calcium

It can be eaten raw or cooked, though cooking destroys the Vitamin C content. It is a substitute for baby spinach.

The delightful blooms last only a few hours, but the plant offers shelter and food to a wide variety of wildlife.

It can be used in:

*soups

*smoothies

*salads

*stews

*stirfries

*sweet dishes (flowers are sweeter than leaves)