Lizard's tail

Browse All Lizard's tail Recipes

About Lizard's tail
Wikipedia Article About Lizard's tail on Wikipedia

Houttuynia cordata (Chinese: 鱼腥草; Hanyu Pinyin: yúxīng cǎo; literally "fishy-smell herb") is an herbaceous perennial plant native to Japan, southern China and Southeast Asia, where it is grown as a leaf vegetable and for its use in herbal medicine. In Southwest China, such as Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, adventitious roots are used as root vegetable, too. English names include heartleaf and lizardtail.

The plant inhabits moist, shady places, and grows to between 20 and 80 cm tall. The proximal part of the stem is trailing and produces adventitious roots, while the distal part of the stem grows vertically. Leaves are opposite. White flowers are born on terminal spikes.

The leaf has a noticeable fishy taste.