Neptunia oleracea

{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Speciesbox |image = Neptunia_oleracea1.jpg |image2 = Neptunia oleracea-IMG 1661.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author= Allen, D.J. |author2= Beentje, H.J. |date=2018 |title= ''Neptunia oleracea'' |volume=2018 |article-number= e.T168883A120184851 |doi= 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T168883A120184851.en |access-date=July 10, 2025}}</ref> |genus = Neptunia |species = oleracea |authority = Lour. |synonyms = {{species list |hidden = yes |Desmanthus natans |Willd. |Mimosa natans |Vahl |Neptunia natans |W.Theob. |Acacia lacustris |Desf. |Aeschynomene herbacea |Aubl. |Aeschynomene pumila |L. |Desmanthus lacustris |(Bonpl.) Willd. |Desmanthus stolonifer |DC. |Mimosa aquatica |Humb. ex F.Dietr. |Mimosa aquatica |Pers. |Mimosa lacustris |Bonpl. |Mimosa stolonifera |Perr. ex DC. |Neptunia stolonifera |Guill. & Perr.}} |synonyms_ref =<ref name=POWO/> }}

'''''Neptunia oleracea''''' (not to be confused with ''Neptunia plena'') is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae.<ref name=POWO>{{cite web |url= https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:509607-1 |title= Neptunia oleracea Lour. |author= |date=n.d. |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=July 10, 2025}}</ref><ref name=COL>{{cite web |url= https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/47468 |title= Neptunia oleracea Lour. |author= |date=n.d. |website=Catalogue of Life |publisher=Species 2000 |access-date=July 10, 2025}}</ref> It is sometimes referred to in English by the common names '''water mimosa''' or '''sensitive neptunia'''. It is pantropical nitrogen-fixing perennial legume. Genus and common name come from Neptune, god of the sea, in reference to the aquatic habit of some species in the genus.

Its specific epithet ''oleracea'' means "vegetable/herbal" in Latin and is a form of {{wikt-lang|la|holeraceus}} ({{lang|la|oleraceus}}).<ref>{{cite book|last=Parker|first=Peter|title=A Little Book of Latin for Gardeners|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O-tzDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT328|date= 2018|publisher=Little Brown Book Group|isbn=978-1-4087-0615-2|page=328| quote= {{lang|la|oleraceus, holeraceus}} = relating to vegetables or kitchen garden}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Whitney|first=William Dwight|title=The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OGTWRtstsaEC&pg=PA2856|year=1899|publisher=Century Co.|page=2856|quote={{abbr|L.|Latin}} {{lang|la|holeraceus}}, {{abbr|prop.|properly}} {{lang|la|oleraceus}}, herb-like, {{lang|la|holus}}, {{abbr|prop.|properly}} {{lang|la|olus}} ({{lang|la|oler-}}), herbs, vegetables}}</ref>

==Description== Aerenchyma (white spongy air-conducting tissue that gives stems buoyancy) forms on stems floating in water, but does not form on stems growing on land. Plants typically grow to as much as 6" tall, but stems will spread in the water to 3-5' long. Stems are clad with bi-pinnate, fine, mimosa-like sensitive leaves that close up when touched. Primary leaf segments have 8-40 small oblong leaflets arranged in opposite pairs. Tiny greenish-yellow flowers are densely crowded into feathery orbicular inflorescences that bloom in summer. Fruits are flat pods (to 1-2" long). Floating aquatic plant stems often form thick foliage mats and is considered to be an invasive aquatic weed in some tropical waters where large mats may form that choke waterways, resulting in restricted water flow, reduced water quality, reduced fish activity and loss of some underwater and native wetland plants.

==Habitat== Primarily found growing prostrate in wet soils near the water's edge or floating on the water in relatively still-water areas.

==Uses== ===Culinary=== This plant is cultivated as a vegetable in southeast Asia (leaves and shoots have cabbage-like flavor). Young ends of stems and pods are edible and usually eaten raw as a vegetable in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia and cultivated much like rice. The young leaves, shoot tips and young pods are usually eaten raw or in stir-fries and curries such as ''kaeng som''.<ref>[http://www.ifrpd.ku.ac.th/pr/research/Thai_foods_Payom.pdf Nutritional composition of traditional Thai foods used local vegetables] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121212013623/http://www.ifrpd.ku.ac.th/pr/research/Thai_foods_Payom.pdf |date=2012-12-12 }}</ref>

<gallery mode=packed> Yam phak krachet.jpg|''Yam phak krachet'', a Thai salad made with cooked water mimosa Lao green papaya salad.jpg|Lao-style green papaya salad (left) served with raw sprigs of water mimosa (right) </gallery>

===Medicinal=== Juice of the stem and roots are used for medicinal purposes. Whole plant extract exhibited cytotoxic activity on neoplastic cell lines{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}. Extract of the herb exhibited hepatoprotective activity{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}.

==Common names== * Khmer: ''Kanchait'' ({{lang|km|កញ្ឆែត}}) * Meiteilon/Manipuri: ''Eshing ekai thabi'' * Thai: ''Phak runon'' ({{lang|th|ผักรู้นอน}}) or ''phak krachet'' ({{lang|th|ผักกระเฉด}}), pronounced "phak kachēt".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.supatra.com/pages/thaiveggies.html |title=Thai Vegetable guide |access-date=2011-08-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110816164924/http://www.supatra.com/pages/thaiveggies.html |archive-date=2011-08-16 }}</ref> * Vietnamese: ''Rau nhút'' * Sinhalese: {{lang|si|දිය නිදිකුම්බා}} * Tamil language: ''Cuṇṭi'' or ''nīrc-cuṇṭi'',<ref>''Madras Tamil Lexicon'', also ''Tamil Dictionary'', Winslow</ref> referring to its sensitivity to touch (''cuṇṭu'': to tap with thumb or finger)<ref>''Dravidian Etymological Dictionary'', 2663</ref> * Mon: ''Khamək'' (ခမက်)

== Gallery == <gallery> File:Neptunia oleracea kz6.jpg File:Neptunia oleracea kz1.jpg File:Neptunia oleracea Lour. (6257275827).jpg File:Neptunia Aquatica.jpg File:Neptunia oleracea 3zz.jpg File:Neptunia oleracea kz8.jpg File:Neptunia oleracea in Sakuya Konohana Kan, Osaka.jpg File:Neptunia oleracea kz8.jpg File:Neptunia oleracea 2zz.jpg File:Neptunia oleracea kz7.jpg </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{Commons category-inline}} *[http://www.fao.org/docrep/004/ac145e/AC145E02.htm The Vegetable Sector in Thailand] {{WestAfricanPlants|Neptunia oleracea}}

Category:Asian vegetables oleracea Category:Edible legumes Category:Pantropical flora Category:Taxa named by João de Loureiro