Velvetleaf Seeds – Indian Mallow (Abutilon theophrasti), Edible & Fiber Annual from South Asia

A 4,000-Year-Old Crop Plant with Edible Leaves, Bold Flowers & Remarkable Fiber

Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti), also known as Indian Mallow, China Jute, and Buttonweed, is a fast-growing South Asian annual with a history stretching back to 2000 BCE in China — cultivated for its strong, jute-like fiber used to make rope, shoes, rugs, and textiles. The plant is equally noteworthy for its culinary and medicinal uses: leaves are edible stir-fried or in omelettes, and the seeds are eaten in China and Kashmir. It produces striking, showy yellowish-orange flowers above distinctly heart-shaped, velvety leaves, and one of the most ornamental seed pods in the plant world — sharply crimped and fluted, like a hand-pressed pie crust.

Highlights

• Fast-growing annual from South Asia — non-GMO, 30 seeds per pack
• Edible leaves (stir-fried, omelette), edible seeds (China, Kashmir)
• Fiber plant — used historically for rope, rugs, shoes, and textiles
• Showy yellowish-orange flowers; ornamental crimped seed pods
• Traditional Chinese herbal medicine: fever, dysentery, stomachache

In the Kitchen

Young leaves can be stir-fried or incorporated into omelettes for a mild, slightly mucilaginous green. Seeds are used in traditional South Asian and Chinese preparations. In the Maldives, leaves are finely chopped and mixed with Maldive fish and grated coconut in the traditional dish mas huni.

Growing Guide

• Sow direct to the ground after the last freezing nights in late spring to early summer
• Soil: Rich, well-drained, and rather rocky soil preferred; full sun
• Easy to cultivate — minimal care required once established; fast-growing in warm conditions