Sessile joyweed

Common Names: Sessile Joyweed, Sissoo Spinach, Mukunuwenna, Brazilian Spinach

Sessile Joyweed is a hardy, fast-growing perennial herb that makes a ever growing edible groundcover or low hedge for backyards. It handles a massive range of conditions and keeps pumping out nutritious leafy greens all year round. It is an excellent choice for a self-sufficient garden or a productive food forest floor. Perfect in hanging baskets too.

Features:

Ideal prune height range: 10-30cm

pH growing conditions: 5.5 to 7.5

Shade or full sun: part shade, such as in a dense growing area.

Minimum pot year 5: 10L pot or open ground

Time to harvest: Harvest leaves from 4-6 weeks

Sessile Joyweed is incredibly easy to grow and loves damp, rich soil, making it perfect for pond edges or wet garden spots. It produces small, shiny white pom-pom flowers right in the leaf joints. The plant spreads across the ground and roots easily from the stem joints, creating a thick living mulch that chokes out unwanted weeds.

Interesting Notes:

The young leaves and shoots are highly nutritious, packed with iron, vitamin A, and dietary fibre. They have a crisp, clean texture and can be used exactly like standard spinach in stir-fries, curries, or steamed dishes.

It is a staple survival plant globally and a favourite for permaculture designs looking to maximise space under fruit trees.

Nutritional Value:

The leaves are a powerhouse of essential minerals and vitamins. They contain high amounts of calcium, iron, and carotene, alongside vitamins fluidly used by the body like vitamin C. The plant is also valued for its high protein (over 15%) content relative to other leafy greens, making it a great plant-based nutritional booster.

How to Eat:

Harvest the tender young tips and leaves regularly to keep the plant bushy. The leaves hold their crisp texture well when cooked, so they are perfect tossed into a hot wok for a quick stir-fry with garlic, mixed into hearty stews, or added to coconut-based curries. They can also be steamed lightly or used to bulk out omelettes and soups.

Beyond meals, you can dry the leaves and stems to brew a herbal tea used in traditional medicine to cool the body and aid digestion. You can also crush the fresh plant to extract the liquid, which is used to make healthy herbal drinks and tonics.

Limited stock. This listing gets you a small 4-6 cm starter in a tubestock.

Pickup from Parkwood, WA. Delivery to Perth Metro only.

Keywords: Sessile Joyweed, Sissoo Spinach, edible groundcover, permaculture plants Perth, backyard greens