Chaya

Propagation: Chaya is normally grown from woody stem cuttings about 15–30 cm long, since viable seed is rarely produced; cut ends are often left to air out for a couple of days so they callus and resist rotting before planting, and the soil should not be overwatered once cuttings are set.

Siting: It wants full sun and a warm, humid climate, tolerating heavy rain and some drought, but it is cold sensitive and needs a warm season to establish.

Growth: Left unpruned the shrub can reach up to about 5 metres, though regular cutting for harvest keeps it closer to 1–2 metres.

Chaya is notably resistant to pests and disease and suffers little insect damage, so it typically needs little intervention to keep it healthy.

Harvest by cutting the shoots, keeping the shrub trimmed to roughly 1–2 metres tall; because the plant is cold sensitive, harvesting is best begun at the start of the warm season.

Culinary: the leaves are cooked and eaten much like spinach, added to soups, casseroles, sauces and salads, and steeped into a tea; because raw leaves and shoots contain cyanogenic glycosides, they are boiled for several minutes before eating.

Medicinal: the Maya of the Yucatán Peninsula and their descendants have historically used chaya as a medicine alongside its use as food.

Other: farmers have used chaya as a fast-growing windbreak within fields and as a living barrier or hedge plant around property perimeters.

Chaya is believed to have originated and been domesticated in pre-Columbian times on the Yucatán Peninsula of southeastern Mexico, one of a number of crops domesticated by Mesoamerican peoples. It was cultivated by at least ten Maya groups across Guatemala, Belize, southeastern Mexico and parts of Honduras, later spreading through Mexico and Central America and being carried to other tropical regions, including introduction to Guam by Spanish explorers.