Re: Vietnamese coriander?

Richard Dufresne wrote:
> 
> At 12:55 AM 5/7/2003 -0800, you wrote:
> >I bought a plant called Vietnamese coriander at the Merritt College
> >(Oakland, CA) plant sale last Saturday, and I'm wondering if anyone has had
> >experience growing or using it. Smells just like coriander, but the leaves
> >are very different.
> >
> >Tanya Kucak
> >Palo Alto, California
> 
> Tanya:
> 
> My friends Art Tucker and Kim Kuebel once did a publication on this plant,
> but I can't remember the name.  I believe it is a relative of Smartweed or
> Prince's Plume (Polygonaceae).  I'd look it up, but my texts have been
> packed up for my move to a new residence.

By accident I have lost the reply which gave the correct name of
Polygonum. Here it is sold as Vietnamese _mint_, (which it also is not)
but the smell and taste is certainly closer to Coriander. 

I grew it some years ago and can confirm its spreading habits (perhaps
that is what won it the nickname of "mint"). As I  actually dislike the
smell of coriander leaves I didn't long keep the plant but having grown
it through a couple of our winters (light frosts of -2 to -3C) I can
confirm it is quite hardy and should certainly easily survive the sort
of winter the lost correspondent described.

Moira
-- 
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ.     Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
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