Jewels of Opar Edible Flower
AKA Fameflower. Mild-flavored salad or cooking green that loves hot weather, is a nutritional powerhouse, and is perennial in zones 9-10. The jewels are it's pink flowers and shiny ruby-red seed pods. Heat and drought-resistant plants form rosettes of edible, mild flavored greens, wands of tiny pink flowers, and jewel-like seed pods. Great in salads, on sandwiches, and as a spinach substitute. Perennial in zones 9-10, grown as an annual elsewhere. Native to the the southern US and the Caribbean, and introduced into Asia and Africa as a vegetable crop. Also popular in the florist world, where the red stems of shiny, bead-like seed pods (the "jewels") add interest to arrangements. Cut the stems off if you want more greens, or don't want it to self-sow. Self-sows prolifically, and spreads by persistent roots in zones 9 and 10. Talinum paniculatum