Aeginetia indica aka Ye Gu

Aeginetia indica is an herb in the Orobanchaceae family. It is perennial, so it lives for more than two years. It grows on grass roots as a holoparasite. This means it gets all its food from its host. Its home range spans tropical and subtropical parts of Asia. Records list China, Japan, Korea, and the Indian subcontinent. They also list mainland Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The RHS lists it as non-native to Britain and Ireland. Sources describe a wild plant, not an established garden crop.

The plant has no leaves and grows on short stems. These reach about 0.3–1.3 feet [0.1–0.4 metres] in height. Useful Tropical Plants gives a summary height of 0.5 feet [0.15 metres]. This falls within the wider range given for the stems. The sources give no separate size range for plants in gardens. Its grass hosts play a key role where it grows. Its need to feed on roots sets it apart from most garden herbs.

It grows on grassy ground in lowlands and low mountains. Kew places it in the wet tropical climate zone. These records show where it grows in the wild. They do not describe tested ways to grow it in gardens. The sources give no firm needs for light, soil, or water. Nor do they give frost limits or hardiness zones. Useful Tropical Plants lists seed as the way to grow new plants. It does not say how to raise seedlings with host plants.

People gather this plant from the wild for local food use. Its flowers yield purple juice to tint a Thai dessert. The dish, kanom dok din, uses sticky rice flour. People also cook and eat the whole plant. One recorded dish mixes it with nutmeg and sugar. The source links this use to the prevention of scurvy. It gives no serving amounts or clear steps for making it. The supplied text does not describe flower or fruit structure.

People also use the roots and flowers in traditional medicine. The source links these uses to heat and toxins. These records do not prove that such uses help treat illness. Nor do they show what doses are safe. Useful Tropical Plants reports no known hazards for this species. This does not mean it is safe for people or pets. The plant can become a pest in sugar plantations. This crop problem matters more here than any recorded landscape role.