Cassava leaf
Manihot esculenta
In some African and Asian cuisines cassava leaves are a cooked green after pounding/boiling. Same cyanogenic plant as the root. Not a beginner wild green.
GROW → HARVEST → EAT → DRY → POWDER → CAPSULE → GUMMY — forms are not equivalent. Food first.
Identity
What it is
In some African and Asian cuisines cassava leaves are a cooked green after pounding/boiling. Same cyanogenic plant as the root. Not a beginner wild green.
Edible portions
- leaves only after traditional thorough cooking
Absence of a portion from this list means it is not treated as food here — not that every other part is toxic.
Growing
- Climate. 10–12
- Light. Full sun
- Soil. Well-drained
- Planting. See cassava.
- Harvest. Not a U.S. grocery default. Traditional processing matters.
Preparation and culinary uses
- Pounded/boiled leaf dishes in cuisines that know the plant
Safety
- Same cyanide caution as cassava root. Do not improvise raw smoothies. Canonical root page is cassava.
Next steps
Sources
- USDA PLANTS Database — taxonomy and range (verify current entries)
- No USDA FoodData Central nutrient profile is attached here. That is not a claim that the plant contains no nutrients.
- State cooperative extension growing guides — verify for your region
Honest incompleteness is preferred to fabricated completeness. If a section is missing, no record for it is attached here — not a claim that the plant lacks that characteristic, and not that it was omitted as a secret.
Internal quality class A. Strong page: distinctive plant facts plus practical growing or kitchen use.