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Climbing Wattle | Cha-om

Cha-om | ชะอม | Senegalia pennata

Family: Fabaceae - Genus: Senegalia

In the corner in between the chicken coop and the mushroom farm you will find the cha-om (climbing wattle).

 

Cha-om, a tropical member of the acacia family (Acacia pennata) native to mainland Southeast Asia, is a well-loved herby vegetable among Thais, Cambodians and Laotians. The parts that are eaten are the feathery young leaf shoots and tender tips before the stems turn tough and thorny. It has a particular fragrance that may seem unpleasant at first to the unaccustomed, but when it’s cooked up, it is vey tasty.

Chaom can be harvested the whole year through. Only the young shoots are harvested.


 

The papaya is a small, sparsely branched tree, usually with a single stem growing from 5 to 10 meter tall, with spirally arranged leaves confined to the top of the trunk. The lower trunk is usually scarred where leaves and fruit were borne. All parts of the plant contain latex.
Vine

THE PLANT

Cha-om, a tropical member of the acacia family (Acacia pennata) native to mainland Southeast Asia, is a well-loved herby vegetable among Thais, Cambodians and Laotians. The parts that are eaten are the feathery young leaf shoots and tender tips before the stems turn tough and thorny. It has a particular fragrance that may seem unpleasant at first to the unaccustomed, but when it’s cooked up, it is vey tasty.


 

The leaves of the papaya are large, 50-70 cm in diameter, with seven lobes.
Leaf

THE LEAVES

Leaves have a large number of very small leaflets. Leaflet blades about 3-6 x 0.5-1 mm, leaflet stalks very short, about 0.1-0.2 mm long or absent.





 


The flowers are five-parted; the male flowers have the stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night, and wind- or insect-pollinated.
FLOWER

THE FLOWERS

Flowers have pom-pom-like heads. Each head about 9-10 mm in diameter. The flowers emit a strong perfume resembling that of fermenting fruit. IOvules about 20.







 
The flowers are five-parted; the male flowers have the stamens fused to the petals. The female flowers have a superior ovary and five contorted petals loosely connected at the base. The flowers are sweet-scented, open at night, and wind- or insect-pollinated.
BERRIES

THE PODS

Pods flat, about 12-15 x 2-3 centimeter. Seeds 10-12 per pod, each seed flat, elliptic to oblong-elliptic, about 10-11 x 6-7 mm.







 

CULINARY USES

In Thailand, the feathery shoots of Senegalia pennata are used in soups, curries, omelettes and stir-fries. The edible shoots are picked up before they become tough and thorny.


Cha-om is also eaten raw with Thai salad and it is one of the ingredients of kaeng khae curry. Cha-om omelet pieces are one of the usual ingredients of spice dipsauce (nam phrik ) and commonly used in kaeng som, a sour Thai curry.


Click on the link of the Food Forest Kitchen Restaurant to find the recipe of the well known cha-om omelet.


 

NUTRITION

Cha-om is a vitamin-rich vegetable, containing high amounts of vitamin A, calcium and iron, as well as vitamins B and C. The herb is also a good source of fiber and phosphorus.

 

TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE OF NEEDLE FLOWER


NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.


In Southeastern Asia, Cha-om is used medicinally to treat stomachaches, migraines, fevers, digestive troubles and asthma or bronchial infections. It is used as an expectorant for coughs and excessive mucus. All parts of the plant are used, including the roots.

 

INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience

For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!


Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!


INTO THE WILD!

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