''Kalimeris indica'', also known as Indian aster or Indian Kalimeris, is a flowering

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of ...

perennial plant In horticulture, the term perennial (''wikt:per-#Prefix, per-'' + ''wikt:-ennial#Suffix, -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annual plant, annuals and biennial plant, biennials. It has thus been d ...

of the family

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

(Compositae). ''Kalimeris indica'', like other species in the genus of ''Kalimeris'', occurs mainly in eastern Asian countries of China, Korea and Japan, and has been introduced to California and Hawaii.

Description

''Kalimeris indica'' commonly occurs on abandoned farm land, slopes of hills and ridges between rice fields. It is also often found along roads and trails in hardwood forests. It can reproduce sexually through production of seeds and asexually through stolons. Seeds germinate in early spring. Newly emerged seedlings are small with each cotyledon being approximately 2 mm in length. Indian aster can grow to a height of 30–70 cm. Leaves are alternate and stems are typically upright. Blooming starts in late spring and will continue into October depending on the location and growth conditions for the plant, particularly nutrient level in the soil. Disk florets are light yellow and ray florets are either light purple or white. Fruits of Indian aster are small and dark. File:Kalimeris-indica-by-Taraxacumseeds-03.jpg, Leaves, stems and inflorescence of ''Kalimeris indica'' File:Kalimeris-indica-by-Taraxacumseeds-04.jpg, A patch of ''Kalimeris indica'' along a rural road File:Kalimeris-indica-by-Taraxacumseeds-05.jpg, Dried ''Kalimeris indica'' inflorescence in winter time File:Kalimeris indica seedlings by Taraxacumseeds.jpg, Newly emerged ''Kalimeris indica'' seedlings in early spring

Uses

Indian aster has wide

culinary Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

uses in East Asia. Young leaves and stems are collected in early spring time and cooked with other food items such as dried tofu (bean curd). It is considered a delicacy because of its special flavor. It is particularly popular south of Yangtze River in China where it is called 马兰头 ''malantou''. 202403 Raw Manlantou Leaves Presentation in a Restaurant in Jinhua.jpg, Raw ''Kalimeris indica'' 202403 Manlantou with Doufugan in Laojinhua.jpg, Stir fried ''malantou'' with '' xianggan'' File:Kalimeris-indica-by-Taraxacumseeds-06.jpg, Boiled ''Kalimeris indica'' leaves served with salted peanuts

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5759897 Asian vegetables Leaf vegetables Astereae