Hablitzia Spinach, Hablitzia tamnoides

Also called Caucasian Mountain Spinach, Hablitzia is a perennial vine with edible leaves that taste similar to spinach and are delicious both cooked and raw. It is my favorite perennial green, and I find it to be criminally undergrown in the US!

Hablitzia is a cool weather green, with the best harvests occuring in the spring and fall. In hot weather it will flower and the leaves will become slightly bitter. Vines grow up to 10 ft long and can be trellised or allowed to spread on the ground.

Hablitzia is slow-growing in the first year while the roots get established, but becomes a vigorous grower in the second year. It prefers partial to full shade.