I learned there are these edible tree like plants with leaves that taste kinda like a blend of lettuce and spinach malabar that are called “south sea salad trees”. There are three common varieties of sea salad trees. So when mentioning about a South Sea Salad Tree, do try refer to its variety too.

“Aunt Lilli” Sea Salad Tree

“Auntie Lilli’s South Sea Salad Tree” is an edible leafy large shrub with edible leaves that taste similar to spinach and spinach malabar. The leaves are huge with variegated colors in full sun. It grows well from cuttings too. Before the winter cold snap approach, I would cut a few cuttings and stick it in potting mix and keep it inside the garage or protected from the north wind and it will grow vigorous in the spring. It grows best for me near the front of the house where it gets morning sun and afternoon shade. It grows better for me with partial or filtered sunlight.

Growing zone: 9B+

The taste of Aunt Lilli’s South Sea Salad Tree

7/18/24: I am ending my plant documentary of the Aunt Lilli’s South Sea Salad Tree in zone 9B/10A.

No one in my family likes to eat this edible leave RAW. So I am cooking the leaves with a young angled loofah to see if husband and I like to eat it as a soup since this Vietnamese loofah soup is traditionally cooked with spinach malabar leaves. I figured hopefully these leaves can be a good substitute too.

Taste result: I will stick with cooking with the traditional loofah soup cooked with spinach malabar (mồng tơi) or red leaf amaranth (rau dền đỏ). The Aunt Lilli’s South Sea Salad leaves release its slimy substance into the broth that acts like a thickening agent. The cooked leaves aren’t slimy anymore but have a fibrous chewy texture. I find it disgusting. So I will conclude that I won’t be eating this edible plant in any way. No offense to the lovers. 😆