Water Spinach, Morning Glory, Asian Vegetable

Ipomoea aquatica is a semiaquatic, tropical plant grown as a vegetable for its tender shoots and leaves. It is found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, although it is not known where it originated.
Features: Water Spinach or Pak-Boong is also known in Thailand as a Morning Glory(Indonesia- Malaysia and Singapore called Kangkung) . 
This aquatic plant is a delicious and nutritious vegetable. 
Young shoots are often served as part of a mixed platter of raw vegetables for dipping into hot sauces- while the leaves and tender tips are also stir-fried. 
Discard the tough- hollow stems.

Water morning glory
Not to Be Confused - Water morning glory is not the same as our morning glory in the states… our flowering morning glory in the states is poisonous.
Where it Grows - This wonderful green grows in China, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, Burma, Philippines, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam and other tropical areas with lots of water.
Growing - Water morning glory grows in rice patties and needs lots of water, or at least very moist soil.
Detail Information
An aquatic tropical vine, water spinach is immensely popular through out Southeast Asia, India and China as a nutritious leafy vegetable. This variety produces smooth green leaves and hollow stems.
Water Spinach grows rapidly in warm temperatures with abundant water and can be successfully grown in any vegetable garden with sufficient watering. Leaves and stems can be harvested at any growth stage once plants have become established.
Common Name: Water Spinach, Kangkong, River Spinach, Water Morning Glory, Ong Choy, Water Convolvulus, Swamp Cabbage
Scientific Name: Ipomoea aquatica
Family: Convolvulaceae (the Morning Glory or Bindweed family)


Ipomoea aquatica goes by many names around the world!

Water Spinach is a common vegetable in Asian cuisine.
Water Spinach is a common vegetable in Asian cuisine.

Common Names

Bengali = kalmi shaak or kalami
Burmese = gazun ywet or kan-swun
Cantonese (Jyutping) = weng cai or tung coi or ong tsoi or ung coi (sometimes transliterated as ong choy)
Chinese (Mandarin) = kōng xīn cài or toongsin tsai
Chinese (Hokkien) = eng ca
Dutch = waterspinazie
Filipino and Tagalog = kangkóng or cancong
Hindi = kalmua or kalmi or kalmisaag
Japanese = asagaona or ensai or kankon or kuushin sai or stuu sai
Khmer (in Cambodia) = trâkuön
Korean = kong sim chae or da yeon chae
Laotian = pak bong or bongz
Malay and Indonesian = kangkung or ballel
Thai = phak bung or pak hung or phak thotyot
Vietnamese = rau muống.
How to grow it: Kang Kong is a terrifically hardy perennial that will grow anywhere at anytime it’s growing conditions are met – that is, when it’s hot & wet. It grows like mad in these conditions, and will meander or die back when it’s cold and/or dry. Seems just as happy in sun or shade

In the tropics, it will grow all year if it has regular water, but is best planted as the wet season begins and will require no maintenance. If there’s a problem with it, it can get out of control – a great reason to harvest it regularly.
In cooler areas, it will die back in winter and reshoot in spring. In cold areas it’s growing season might be quite short.

Given it’s water requirements, it does best in a boggy area or on the edges of ponds. It’s just as happy in shallow water as it is in wet mud. It does well in a shadehouse or hothouse and it’s growing period might be extended due to the extra warmth.
Kang Kong will certainly benefit from the addition of manure, compost, worm juice or seaweed, but will also do pretty well without any maintenance at all. Once I put a cutting in a vase of water to root, and it grew & produced leaves for months without any help at all – quite amazing!

I’ve had great success growing Kang Kong in closed containers – simply fill any closed container (20 litre bucket, pots with no drainage, styrofoam boxes etc) with soil leaving 5-10 cms from the top. Fill with water to a level just above the soil, and put your cuttings or seeds in. As soon as the plants start growing you can start harvesting. This growing method can be very productive and is great for drier climates – just add a bit a bit of water when needed – the foliage will reduce much of the water loss.
HOW TO USE Water Morning Glory !
Water morning glory can be eaten raw or cooked, either way it tastes great… makes a nice salad. Some people love eating raw water morning glory. 

Great for Pregnant Women - Water morning glory contains lots of iron which is important during pregnancy. 
Anemia - Water morning glory is also wonderful for those who have anemia because it contains lots of iron. 
Lowers Glucose - Water morning glory also has the ability to lower blood glucose, and it inhibits the absorption of glucose… making it great for diabetics. 
Easy to Digest - Water morning glory is very easy to digest… making it great for those who are debilitated. And many people feel water morning glory is great for raw food diets. 
Great Fiber - Water morning glory contains fiber that helps with constipation, creating a wonderful environment for growing probiotic bacteria. 
Contains - Water morning glory contains lots of protein which is great for building muscle, Vitamins A and C which are powerful antioxidants, B vitamins for energy and good mood, magnesium for enzyme production, and calcium for strong bones. Plus lots of great chlorophyll… one of the best healing agents around.