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Cnidoscolus aconitifolius
Also called Tree Spinach, Cabbage Star, Spinach Tree
Chaya is a fast-growing, leafy perennial shrub or small tree from Mexico and Central America, grown in warm climates mainly for its spinach-like leaves. The key to growing it is full sun, warmth, and propagation from woody cuttings, since seeds are rarely produced.
Cnidoscolus aconitifolius, commonly known as chaya, tree spinach, Mayan tree spinach, or spinach tree, is a large, fast-growing and leafy perennial shrub in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.
The plant is native to Mexico. As with most euphorbias, the plant exudes an irritating, often toxic latex when damaged. The plant is cultivated in warm climates for its leaves that are cooked and eaten like spinach.
The species is cultivated in warm regions around the world for its edible leaves, including northern South America, tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific.
Chaya can be grown as a potherb, preferring full sun and a warm climate. It is easy to grow and it suffers little insect damage. It may be a tender perennial in the United States, but persists in climates such as Florida. It is tolerant of heavy rain and has some drought. Propagation is normally by woody stem cuttings about 15–30 cm (6–12 in) long, as seeds are rarely produced. Early growth is slow as roots are slow to develop on the cuttings, so leaves are not harvested until the second year. Thereafter, chaya leaves may be harvested continuously provided that more than 50% of the leaves are removed from the plant, in order to guarantee healthy new plant growth.
The raw leaves contain large quantities of toxic cyanogenic glycosides, in addition to the irritating sap typical of the Euphorbiaceae family. Some varieties also have stinging hairs and require gloves for harvesting. Thorough cooking destroys both the stinging hairs and toxins found in the raw plant.
Care should be taken to avoid contact between raw plant material and one's mucous membranes including the mouth, eyes, genitals, nose, inner ears, or any otherwise open wound or injury. Complications can occur, from mild irritation to severe burning pain and in more serious cases, temporary blindness if it enters the eyes, or a temporary loss of smell or taste if it touches the nose or mouth.
Chaya is believed to have originated in the Yucatán Peninsula of southeastern Mexico, through Central America to Panama.
It is a popular leaf vegetable in some regional Mexican and other Central American cuisines, used similarly to cooked Swiss chard or spinach. Young leaves and the tender stem tips can be eaten boiled, steamed or stir-fried, and has a mild, sometimes umami taste with a distinct crunchy texture that is retained after cooking.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cnidoscolus aconitifolius by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
