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Rice Paddy Herb

රඅයිස් පැඩී ඖෂධීය පැළෑටි

Limnophila aromatica

Least concern

Rice Paddy Herb
Vinayaraj · CC BY-SA 3.0

Overview

Limnophila aromatica, the rice paddy herb, is a tropical flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia, where it flourishes in hot temperatures and grows most often in watery environments, particularly in flooded rice fields. It is called ngò ôm, ngò om, or ngổ in Vietnam 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. It is called "ma om" in Khmer. It is used in traditional Cambodian soup dishes and Southern Vietnamese cuisine. It can grow in flooded rice paddies during wet season but it grows best on drained but still wet sandy soil of harvested rice paddies for a few months after the rainy season ends. 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.

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Sources

  1. Wikipedia (EN): Limnophila aromatica — CC BY-SA 4.0