''Limnophila aromatica'', the rice paddy herb, is a tropical

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, where it flourishes in hot temperatures and grows most often in watery environments, particularly in flooded rice fields. It is called or or in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and used as an herb and also cultivated for use as an aquarium plant. The plant was introduced to North America in the 1970s due to Vietnamese immigration following the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. It is called "ma om" (ម្អម) in Khmer. It is used in traditional Cambodian soup dishes and Southern Vietnamese cuisine. It can grow in flooded rice paddies during

wet season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the sea ...

but it grows best on drained but still wet sandy soil of harvested rice paddies for a few months after the rainy season ended. It dies out soon after it flowers. Rural Cambodians often harvest them and put them on the roof of their houses to dry for later use.

Taxonomy

''Limnophila aromatica'' was formerly classified as a member of the figwort family,

Scrophulariaceae The Scrophulariaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the figwort family. The plants are annual and perennial herbs, as well as shrubs. Flowers have bilateral (zygomorphic) or rarely radial (actinomorphic) symmetry. The Scr ...

, but is now classified in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae.

Culinary use

''Limnophila aromatica'' has a flavor and aroma reminiscent of both

lemon The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culin ...

and cumin. It is used most often in

Vietnamese cuisine Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages of Vietnam. Meals feature a combination of five fundamental tastes ( vi, ngũ vị, links=no, label=none): sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and spicy. The distinctive nature of each dish refle ...

, where it is called ''ngò om''. It is an ingredient in '' canh chua'', a sweet and sour seafood soup which also includes

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...

, not to be confused with '' ngò gai'' which is also added as an accompaniment to the noodle soup called ''

phở Phở or pho (, , ; ) is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (), herbs, and meat (usually beef (), sometimes chicken ()). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants ...

''. In

Thai cuisine Thai cuisine ( th, อาหารไทย, , ) is the national cuisine of Thailand. Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Australian chef David Thompson, an expert on Thai ...

it is known as ''phak khaeyng'' (ผักแขยง) and is also used to make om.

Ornamental use

''Limnophila aromatica'' is able to live completely submerged, and as such it is a popular aquarium plant. The submerged leaf form is less rigid and bigger than the emergent leaf form, it is green with a purple underside, turning completely red under high light conditions.

References

External links

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/nowiki>_Merril)_page.html" ;"title="omk.">Rice Paddy Herb (Limnophila aromatica [Lomk.
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/nowiki> Merril) pagefrom Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages {{Taxonbar">from=Q1134038 Herbs Plantaginaceae Asian vegetables Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Taxonomy

Culinary use

Ornamental use

See also

References

External links