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Persicaria odorata
In Singapore: Laksa Leaf, Laska Plant, Daun Kesum, Daun Laksa, Vietnamese Coriander, 水蓼, 辣蓼草 (Grown in Singapore)
Vietnamese coriander is a perennial herb, not a true mint or coriander, grown for its peppery, citrus-like leaves in warm, damp conditions. It needs warmth, steady moisture and protection from frost.
Persicaria odorata is a species of flowering plant in the family Polygonaceae. Its common names in English include Vietnamese coriander, laksa leaf, Vietnamese cilantro, praew leaf, hot mint, Cambodian mint and Vietnamese mint, Its leaves are used in Southeast Asian and Northeast Indian cooking.
Although some of its common names refer to mint, Vietnamese coriander is unrelated to the mint genus Mentha, nor is it in the mint family Lamiaceae, but its general appearance and fragrance are reminiscent of them. It is also not closely related to coriander (family Apiaceae). Persicaria is in the family Polygonaceae, collectively known as "smartweeds" or "pinkweeds". The similarities in the tastes and smells between Persicaria and coriander and mint may be an example of convergent evolution.
North American sources state Persicaria odorata can be grown outside in frost free parts of USDA Zones 9–11 in moderately fertile soil which is poor or well-drained but will remain moist to wet. It can tolerate full sun if there are breezes and boggy moist soil. However, part shade is desirable and it can be used as groundcover under trees.
If winter temperatures drop below 7 °C (45 °F) overwintering indoors is possible if humidity can be maintained. Northern European sources proscribe all but summer under glass as it is hardy to H1C (minimum 5–10 °C (41–50 °F)) with West and South facing aspects preferable.
It is native to Cambodia, China (North-Central, South-Central and Southeast, Hainan), Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The leaf is primarily associated with Vietnamese cuisine, where it is known as rau răm and commonly eaten fresh in salads (including chicken salad) and in raw gỏi cuốn, as well as in some soups such as canh chua and bún thang, and stews, such as fish kho tộ. It is also popularly eaten with trứng vịt lộn (fertilized duck egg).
Amphibious Bistort · Pink Headed Knotweed · Chinese Knotweed · Water pepper · Curlytop knotweed · Redshank · Persicaria microcephala · Small water-pepper · Pinkweed · Asiatic Tearthumb · Dotted Smartweed · Persicaria tinctoria
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Persicaria odorata 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.
