Geniosporum

''Platostoma'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae, first described as a genus in 1818. It is native to tropical parts of Africa, southern Asia, Papuasia, and Australia.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> ''Mesona'' and ''Acrocephalus'' has been known as its synonyms.

A widely consumed species in this genus is ''Platostoma palustre'' (synonyms ''Mesona chinensis'', ''M. elegans'', and ''M. procumbens''),Flora of China
/ref> or ''xiancao'' (仙草) in Mandarin Chinese, Mandarin, ''sian-chháu'' (仙草) in Taiwanese Minnan, Taiwanese, ''leung fun cho'' (涼粉草) in Cantonese language, Cantonese, ''sương sáo'' in Vietnamese language, Vietnamese, and ''cincau'' in Indonesian language, Indonesian and Malay language, Malay.
It is eaten as a snack in drinks, or set as a gel and served as a grass jelly.

In Indonesia the ''Platostoma palustre'' leaf is used to make a black jelly; there is also an instant powder variety available.

Species

There are about 44-46 accepted species as below:
# ''Platostoma africanum'' P.Beauv — tropical Africa, southern India, Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia
# ''Platostoma annamense'' (G.Taylor) A.J.Paton — Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia
# ''Platostoma axillaris'' (Benth.) A.J.Paton — Assam
# ''Platostoma becquerelii'' Suddee & A.J.Paton — Cambodia
# ''Platostoma borzianum'' (Chiov.) ined.. — Ethiopia
# ''Platostoma calcaratum'' (Hemsl.) A.J.Paton — southern China, northern Indochina
# ''Platostoma cambodgense'' Suddee & A.J.Paton — Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos
# ''Platostoma clausum'' (Merr.) A.J.Paton — Culion Island in Philippines
# ''Platostoma cochinchinense'' (Lour.) A.J.Paton — southern China, Indochina, Java, Sumatra
# ''Platostoma coeruleum'' (R.E.Fr.) A.J.Paton — Angola, Zambia
# ''Platostoma coloratum'' (D.Don) A.J.Paton — Yunnan, eastern Himalayas, northern Indochina
# ''Platostoma denticulatum'' Robyns — central Africa from Cameroon east to Tanzania and south to Angola
# ''Platostoma dilungense'' (Lisowski & Mielcarek) A.J.Paton — Zaïre, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi
# ''Platostoma elongatum'' (Benth.) A.J.Paton — Sri Lanka, southern India
# ''Platostoma fastigiatum'' A.J.Paton & Hedge — Madagascar
# ''Platostoma fimbriatum'' A.J.Paton — Thailand
# ''Platostoma gabonense'' A.J.Paton — Cameroon, Gabon, Tanzania
# ''Platostoma glomerulatum'' A.J.Paton & Hedge — Madagascar
# ''Platostoma grandiflorum'' Suddee & A.J.Paton — eastern Indochina
# ''Platostoma helenae'' (Buscal. & Muschl.) ined.. — Mozambique
# ''Platostoma hildebrandtii'' (Vatke) A.J.Paton & Hedge — Kenya, Tanzania
# ''Platostoma hispidum'' (L.) A.J.Paton — Southeast Asia, southern China, Assam, New Guinea
# ''Platostoma intermedium'' A.J.Paton — Thailand
# ''Platostoma kerrii'' Suddee & A.J.Paton — Thailand, Cambodia
# ''Platostoma lanceolatum'' (Chermsir. ex Murata) A.J.Paton — Thailand
# ''Platostoma laxiflorum'' A.J.Paton & Hedge — Madagascar
# ''Platostoma leptochilon'' Robyns — Zaïre
# ''Platostoma longicorne'' (F.Muell.) A.J.Paton — Queensland, New Guinea
# ''Platostoma madagascariense'' (Benth.) A.J.Paton & Hedge — Madagascar
# ''Platostoma mekongense'' Suddee — Thailand
# ''Platostoma menthoides'' (L.) A.J.Paton — Sri Lanka, southern India
# ''Platostoma montanum'' (Robyns) A.J.Paton — Zaïre, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi
# ''Platostoma ocimoides'' (G.Taylor) A.J.Paton — Thailand, Cambodia
# ''Platostoma palniense'' (Mukerjee) A.J.Paton — southern India
# ''Platostoma palustre'' (Blume) A.J.Paton — Southeast Asia, southern China, Assam, Bangladesh, New Guinea
# ''Platostoma rotundifolium'' (Briq.) A.J.Paton — tropical and southern Africa
# ''Platostoma rubrum'' Suddee & A.J.Paton — Thailand, Laos
# ''Platostoma siamense'' (Murata) A.J.Paton — Thailand
# ''Platostoma stoloniferum'' (G.Taylor) A.J.Paton — Thailand, Laos
# ''Platostoma strictum'' (Hiern) A.J.Paton — Zaïre, Angola, Zambia, Malawi
# ''Platostoma taylorii'' Suddee & A.J.Paton — Thailand, Cambodia
# ''Platostoma tectum'' A.J.Paton — Thailand, Cambodia, Laos
# ''Platostoma tenellum'' (Benth.) A.J.Paton & Hedge — Madagascar
# ''Platostoma thymifolium'' (Benth.) A.J.Paton & Hedge — Madagascar
# ''Platostoma tridechii'' Suddee — Thailand
# ''Platostoma verbenifolium'' (Watt ex Mukerjee) A.J.Paton — Assam, Bangladesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar

References

External links

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{{Taxonbar, from=Q969873

Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae genera