Platostoma

Platostoma is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, first described as a genus in 1818. It is native to tropical parts of Africa, southern Asia, Papuasia, and Australia. Mesona and Acrocephalus has been known as its synonyms.

Platostoma
Platostoma africanum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Lamiaceae
Subfamily: Nepetoideae
Tribe: Ocimeae
Genus: Platostoma
P.Beauv.
Synonyms
  • Mesona Blume
  • Acrocephalus Benth.
  • Geniosporum Wall. ex Benth.
  • Nosema Prain
  • Limniboza R.E.Fr.
  • Hemsleia Kudô
  • Ceratanthus F.Muell. ex G.Taylor
  • Octomeron Robyns

A widely consumed species in this genus is Platostoma palustre (synonyms Mesona chinensis, M. elegans, and M. procumbens), or xiancao (仙草) in Mandarin, sian-chháu (仙草) in Taiwanese, leung fun cho (涼粉草) in Cantonese, sương sáo in Vietnamese, and cincau in Indonesian and Malay. It is eaten as a snack in drinks, or set as a gel and served as a grass jelly.

In Indonesia the Platostoma palustre leaf is used to make a black jelly; there is also an instant powder variety available.

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