Differences Between Madeira Vine, Tian Sanqi and New Vine Vegetable

Aliases: Tian Sanqi, tofu vegetable, new vine vegetable

Family and genus: Basellaceae, perennial herbaceous plant

Distribution:

Cultivated in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hubei, Taiwan, China and other provinces, with bulbils and leaves used as food.

Morphological characteristics:

Madeira vine is a perennial succulent small vine of the Basellaceae family, with a well-developed root system; half a year after planting, tubers can form underground. The stem is round, the young stem is green, and the mature stem turns brown; adventitious roots easily form at the nodes.

The leaves are alternate, heart-shaped, 8-15 cm long, 9-16 cm wide, 0.2 cm thick, succulent, fleshy, smooth, hairless, with short petioles; lump-shaped bulbils can grow from the leaf axils, 2-4 cm long and 1-3 cm wide. In autumn, spike-like inflorescences emerge from the leaf axils, about 20 cm long. The flowers are small, drooping, with a 5-petaled corolla, white-green, and in Guangzhou they flower but do not set fruit.

Growth habits:

Madeira vine likes high temperatures, with an optimum growth temperature of 25°C-30°C, and has strong cold resistance; only when exposed to temperatures below 0°C or severe frost do the aboveground stems and leaves die, and in early spring they sprout again from the underground tubers. It is both moisture-tolerant and drought-tolerant, and grows well in all kinds of soil.

It can be cultivated in the open field throughout the vast areas south of the Yangtze River, and in the north it can be cultivated year-round in greenhouses for a balanced supply to the market.

Cultivation methods:

Madeira vine generally uses asexual propagation and can be propagated by cuttings of branches, bulbils or underground tubers.

The planting distance for cuttings is 10 cm; roots appear 5-7 days after insertion, and seedlings form in 20-30 days. It is suitable for trellis cultivation, and can also be grown creeping on the ground or in pots, usually using substrate cultivation.

Nutritional value:

Madeira vine is rich in nutrients. In addition to containing protein, fat and various mineral elements, every 100 grams of fresh leaves contains as much as 5644 international units of vitamin A and 28 mg-33.7 mg of vitamin C. The leaves have a slightly bitter taste and no other special flavor.

The bulbils of Madeira vine are used as medicine; after boiling in water they taste slightly sweet and have a sticky texture when chewed. They are neutral in nature and can reduce swelling and disperse blood stasis, tonify deficiency and stop bleeding.

They can treat unnamed swellings and toxins, traumatic bleeding, vomiting blood, and weakness of the waist and knees.

After blanching Madeira vine leaves in boiling water for two or three minutes, they can be mixed with seasonings and eaten; they can be stir-fried plain, or stir-fried with pork kidney slices or shredded meat, and can also be made into soup; their taste is crisp and smooth. The bulbils and underground tubers stewed with chicken or meat taste slightly sweet, have a smooth mouthfeel, and have a nourishing effect.