Gynura is a genus of roughly 40–50 species of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae (order Asterales), native to tropical and subtropical Asia and extending into Africa. Members of the genus are herbaceous perennials or soft-wooded subshrubs, often with a trailing or scrambling habit. The foliage ranges from smooth to densely hairy, and several species are covered in vibrant purple or violet trichomes that give the leaves and stems a characteristic velvety texture.
The genus is perhaps best known through Gynura aurantiaca, the purple passion plant or velvet plant, native to Southeast Asia. It is a popular houseplant valued for its dark green leaves densely covered in soft purple hairs. The plant produces small, yellow to orange disc flowers (no ray flowers) that carry a notably strong scent. In warm climates it is grown outdoors and has naturalised in parts of Africa, Australia, South America, and Mesoamerica. Gynura aurantiaca received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Another widely recognised member is Gynura procumbens, known as longevity spinach or sambung nyawa, a scrambling vine native to tropical Asia and parts of Africa. Its young leaves are eaten as a cooked vegetable or flavouring and the plant has a long history of traditional medicinal use as a febrifuge and treatment for fevers, kidney complaints, and dysentery.
All Gynura species produce composite flower heads containing only disc florets in yellow, orange, or red tones, consistent with their placement in the tribe Senecioneae of Asteraceae.
Distribution
Gynura is native to tropical and subtropical Asia, with the greatest diversity in Southeast Asia (including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) and extending to South Asia and China. Several species also occur in tropical Africa. Gynura aurantiaca has naturalised beyond its native Southeast Asian range in Africa, Australia, South America, Mesoamerica, and Florida.
Cultivation
Gynura aurantiaca is widely grown as a houseplant in temperate regions and as a garden or patio plant in warm climates. Its trailing stems make it well suited to hanging baskets. Gynura procumbens is cultivated as both an ornamental and an edible crop in tropical regions, where its young leaves are harvested as a cooked vegetable.
Cultural Uses
Several Gynura species have traditional medicinal uses across tropical Asia and Africa. Gynura procumbens is used as a febrifuge and in the treatment of fevers, kidney disorders, and dysentery; its semi-succulent leaves are applied externally to relieve rheumatic and general body pain. The species is also reported to be used as a remedy for rice aphids in the Philippines. The young leaves of G. procumbens are eaten as a vegetable or flavouring in soups with meat and prawns.
