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Kang Kong (vegetable)

Page history last edited by PBworks 16 years, 10 months ago

Kang Kong

Cheap Nutritious Vegetable or Weed?

 


Description and Rationale

 

 

Kang Kong is a vegetable that grows in swampy areas in the Philippines. It is a cheap vegetable because it can grow pretty much any where. It has a lot of nutrients in it because it is a green leafy vegetable.

 

Many people in the Philippines and especially in Manila don’t get enough vegetables. With out eating vegetables they aren’t getting the vitamins and minerals needed. How much would the vitamins and minerals in Kang Kong help the Filipino people? What is the best way to get Filipinos to eat Kang Kong? Are there ways to use Kan Kong for crafts?

 

At first the project will just be researching Kang Kong to find out exactly what nutrients it has. Then check to see how these nutrients will help the human body. Then checking to see if there are any ways to grow Kang Kong that makes it healthier or taste better.  Then finding a way to tell Filipinos this information and possibly showing them ways to cook Kang Kong in an easy way.

 

Hopefully through this research more People will use the wonderful vegetable Kang Kong more. So that they can get the nutrients that their diets lack. This hopefully will help their bodies to be healthier.

 

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Biology

 

Common Names and Synonyms

 

Ipomoea aquatica in the Philippines is called KangKong. It has many names all over the world. Here are just a few of the English names, water spinach, swamp cabbage, water convolvulus, and water morning-glory.  These are some others languages from around the world: KangKung Malay and Sinhalese, TangKong Cebuano, pak boong Thia. Then these are all different Chinese names: kōngxīncài, ong choy, ngônkcôi, wéngcài. It is interesting how some of the languages are so similar in their names.

 

Classification

 

Kingdom: Plantae-Plants

Division: Magnoliophyta-Flowering plant

Class: Magnoliopsida-  Dicots

Order: Solanales- Polemoniales

Family: Convolvulaceae- Bindweed

Genus: Ipomoea-twining climbing

Species: I. Aquatica- water

 

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Morphology and Physical Description

 

I. aquatica is a light green vegetable that is a trailing vine. The steams are hollow and thin. The stems can grow up to three meters, and the leaves can grow to 30 cm. They are oblong-lanceolate (arrowhead) in shape. The roots grow out of the nods (the place where the leaf connects to the stem).

This helps them be able to float when in water. Sometimes there are flowers that are in a horn shape with white or pink petals. The fruit is round, about 1cm wide, and are woody when mature. Inside there are a few hairy seeds. There are two different forms of KangKong, one is called “red KangKong” because it has a red tinge and its flowers are pink. Then there is the green variety that has darker thicker steams and has white flowers.

 

 

Getting Food

 

I. aquatica is a plant and as we know plants use photosynthesis to get the energy needed for them to carry on their life cycle. The chlorophyll energy from the sun and then transfer it into stored energy which then can be used for the plant.  I. aquatica also needs a very moist area either just water or extremely wet ground like in rice fields.

 

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Reproduction

 

KangKong has fruit that is brown and about 1cm across. Inside each fruit there can be 1-4 seed. These can float around until they are ready to grow. The fastest way that they reproduce is when a plant gets fragmented and each fragment quickly grows a new plant quickly.

 

Environmental Factors

 

I. aquatica grows in freshwater streams, lakes or any body of fresh water. It can only grow in the tropics and subtropics because it easily dies in cold water below 23 degrees Celsius. I. aquatica can spread around very easily. With good conditions it can grow 19,000 kg in 9 months. In many places it takes over the water and takes away the room for other plants. For that reason, in many places it is considered a weed and is almost impossible to get rid of.

 

 

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Origin and Distribution

 

KangKong is originally from central and southchina. It was first spread by immigrants who grew it as food around Asia. Then it was brought to Africa, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Eventually, it was brought to south and Central America and some of subtropical US. In each of these instances it was brought by immigrants who just let it grow as food and it took more and more area until eventually it took over.

 

Importance to People

 

In many countries in east and Southeast Asia, I. aquatica is used in different dishes as a vegetable. With its easy growth and good nutrition it is a great vegetable for everyone. Here are the values in 100 grams: there are 2.7 g of protein 60 mg of calcium, 2.5 mg of iron, 2.9 mg of vitamin A, and 45 mg of vitamin C.  I. aquatica is good for intestinal and gastric problems because of the S-methyl methionine (Vitamin U). Also, it can be insulin as it is like an anti-hyperglycemic.

But in its non-native environments it is an invasive species because it grows so fast, killing of other native plants. In many places, it is a weed and many different things have been done to get ride of it. Using different chemicals but this either doesn’t work or kills off other wanted plants.

 

Survivability and Endangered Status

 

KangKong survives well in its environment. Some people think it grows to well they try to get ride of it but it doesn’t die. As long as it is not to cold or to dry it grows in very dirty water and isn’t top picky about where it grows.

 

 

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Potential Solutions

 

Research has shown that Kang Kong is a very good vegetable to eat with lots of vitamins and minerals that are good for the body. It also is a plant that grows well in tropical climates such as the Philippines. Kang Kong can grow in dirty water where some plants can’t live.  Some say that Kang Kong is an invasive species. They say that it grows to well and takes over they area. This researcher found that it is a great resource that should be used by the poor Filipino people. With its abundance all around it is usually extremely cheap. Also there are many different ways to cook Kang Kong that many Filipinos would enjoy. Some Filipinos see Kang Kong as a dirty poor vegetable and so they don’t eat it. What are some ways to get the fact that Kang Kong is such a great vegetable out there?  There are to great possibilities that both have strengths and weaknesses.

 

Possibility 1 Crafts

 

With Kang Kong’s long stems and leaves they could easily be used for weaving baskets or other little things. Poor people could dry out the stems and leaves so that they would be easy to work with. The stems would be especially good for weaving because they are strong but still flexible. The fact that the stems are hollow could also make them good for crafts. Kang Kong also has nice flowers that could be used for cards once they are pressed. These crafts would give poor people a livelihood. They could cell them at malls or markets.

Advantages

  1. The cost of Kang Kong is very cheap so the supplies for the crafts wouldn’t be to expensive. So they would be able to get a bigger profit. This money would pay for food and other necessities that they might have.
  2. These crafts wood give the people a livelihood so that they wouldn’t have to turn to other means of getting money that are more dangerous and risky.

Disadvantages

  1. There are a lot of other handy crafts around and the Kang Kong baskets my not sell as well they especially if they don’t dry well and get a wired texture.
  2. Once dried out the leaves and stems may not be very strong and break when they’re being weaved. They could also be an ugly color when they are dried.

 

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Possibility 2 Kang Kong Pamphlet (Action step)

 

 A lot of poor Filipinos don’t eat many vegetables either because vegetables are just to expensive or they don’t really like vegetable so they don’t eat them. But the lack of vegetables in their diets is causing them to be very susceptible to dieses and can cause Anemia.  In the pamphlet it will tell the people of all the good nutrients that are in Kang Kong. Also it will show how these nutrients help them stay healthy or grow stronger. It will explain why vegetables are so good for their health. Also give directions on how to wash their vegetables so that they are clean and safe for eating.  

 

 

 

 

 

Advantages

  1. People will look at Kang Kong as a good vegetable for their families and not just think of it as a weed. They will see that it is important to have vegetables in their diets and how to make sure that what they are eating is clean. If they do start eating Kang Kong it should improve their over all health and strength.
  2. If they see that Kang Kong is really good and realize how abundant it is they may tell their friends about it and may even start selling it raw or at an eatery for other people to use.

Disadvantages

1.      The language barrier might get in the way and people might not understand what is being said and then they won’t be able to use it.

2.      If people are illiterate they may not catch everything that is being said and then not be able to apply the things that were taught.

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Bibliography

 

 

Brands. S.J. “Ipomoea Aquatica”  Zipcode Zoo. 27 April 2007. Bay Science Foundation. 3 May 2007 <http://zipcodezoo.com/Plants/I/Ipomoea_aquatica.asp>

 

“Ipomoea Aquatica” Wikipedia.org. 26 April 2007. 28 April 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipomoea_aquatica>

 

Koenke, Carol. Personal Interview. 2 May. 2007.

 

Proctor, Michael. “Ipomoea Aqatica & I.Batatas”  Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database. 4 April 2007. University of Melbourne. 20 April 2007 <http://www.plantnames.unimelb.edu.au/Sorting/Ipomoea.html#aquatica>

 

Rubatzky, Vince. “Chinese Water Spinach, Kang Kong, Water Convolvulus.” 7 September 1990. National Public Internet. 20 April 2007 <http://www.rain.org/greennet/docs/exoticveggies/html/chinesewaterspinach.ht>

“Water Spinach.” Exotic Aquatics. 2002. National Sea Grant. 20 April 2007 <http://www.iisgcp.org/EXOTICSP/index.html>

 

 

“Water Spinach or Kang Kong”  Kesetart University. April 2007. 25 April 2007 <http://www.ku.ac.th/AgrInfo/fruit/veget/v31.html>

 

 

Williams, Adrian. “Ipomoea Aquatica” Global Invasive Species Data Base. 29 August 2006. National Biological Information Infrastructure. 20 April 2007 <http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=477&fr=1&sts=>

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