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Chaya

Writer's picture: smalltownfarmsmalltownfarm

Updated: Dec 7, 2024

Cnidoscolus aconitifolius


Plant family: Euphorbiaceae




Incorporating Chaya in the Garden Ecosystem

Chaya, often referred to as "tree spinach" or "chicasquil," is a fast-growing perennial shrub with a long history of use in Mexico and Central America. Its a beautiful plant that does well with pruning and can make an attractive hedge in the summertime. The plant likes growing as an understory plant, and does well in dappled shade. We've also noticed that its abundant white flowers attract hummingbirds. And in the heat of the summer, chaya makes a nice shady canopy in the garden that you can use to tuck in lettuces and leafy greens, helping to get them established earlier than you’d otherwise be able to.



Propagating Chaya

Chaya is also easy to propagate from cuttings, but be careful with the milky sap the plant exudes, as it can irritate the skin. There are several varieties of chaya, but the type we have is the Estrella type or Cnidoscolus aconitifolius.




In Central Texas, chaya will die down to the ground in cold weather. We had been leaving ours in a pot and bringing it into the greenhouse each winter, but last year we planted our biggest chaya tree to see if it would come back from a feeeze and it did. Granted, it was planted on the south side of our house and we had a pretty mild winter. We planted another one this summer and will find out this year if it comes back.


Working with Chaya


Chaya's star-shaped leaves are a nutrient-rich food source that can be eaten a lot like spinach or chard. The leaves are very high in protein, calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. However, sources say they must be cooked for at least five minutes first due to the presence of hydrocyanic glycoside. So far we've mainly just been enjoying the plant in our landscaping but we have tossed some of the leaves into soups and things. We'll keep this post updated though as we learn more.


Resources:

http://people.umass.edu/psoil370/Syllabus-files/Chaya.pdf


We love growing chaya trees and often have chaya trees for sale in Central Texas, depending on the season. Here's how to order plants from us.


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